Knights fall to Lima Central Catholic

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

LIMA — Crestview was no match for the No. 4 team in the state, as Lima Central Catholic raced out to a 28-0 first quarter lead and went on to defeat the Knights 41-14 in the Division VII Region 26 semifinals at Spartan Stadium on Friday.

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by Crestview (6-3).

Rossi Moore opened the scoring with a five yard touchdown run on the first possession of the game, then after Lima Central Catholic (7-1) forced Crestview into a quick three-and-out, Quintel Peoples scored on a 31-yard run. Later in the quarter, Moore scored again from five yards out, then returned a punt 48 yards for a touchdown.

Moore, playing in the absence of leading rusher Shaun Thomas (foot injury) finished with 149 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and the Thunderbirds went on to churn out 287 yards on the ground.

“They have an incredibly talented group and we talked a lot about their aggressiveness starting the game and how they like to get out quickly, but there was just no answer for us tonight,” Crestview head coach Jared Owens said.

“I thought all week we were going to play one of our best football games and our kids were motivated and inspired,” Lima Central Catholic head coach Scott Palte said. “I think some of them felt a little slighted that we weren’t going to be very good with Shaun out and a lot of them had a lot to prove.”

“We came out in the first quarter and set the tone early, jumped on them and took them out of what they like to do and we just really played a good football game,” Palte added.

The Knights got on the board when JJ Ward lofted a 38-yard touchdown pass to Rontae Jackson with 9:54 left in the second quarter, but Dylan Wilson extended Lima Central Catholic’s lead to 34-6 by capping off a nine-play, 72-yard drive with a two yard touchdown run with 1:26 left until halftime.

Crestview received the second half kickoff but was forced to punt after three plays, then Moore scored his third touchdown of the night on a three-yard run, which triggered a continuous clock for much of the second half.

Brody Brecht, who was held to 56 yards on 12 carries, scored on a 39-yard run with 3:20 left in the game, and Logan Gerardot, who finished with 18 carries for 131 yards, added the two-point conversion.

“We wanted to make sure we hit him (Brecht) in the backfield and get a lot of penetration and really make sure he couldn’t get a head of steam going at the line of scrimmage,” Palte said. “He’s a good running back and the kids did a great job of not letting him get started.”

As a team, Crestview ran for 224 yards and Ward was 4-of-9 passing for 61 yards, but the Knights were plagued by poor field position, especially in the first half.

“We couldn’t establish the running game and the way we’re built that’s a big problem for us,” Owens said. “Our kids will never stop and they’ll never quit. Tonight it wasn’t enough to win the game but down the road these kids are going to be just fine and we’ll try to learn from this and have the younger guys get better.”

“We send out our seniors off…what a great group and what a group that’s grown so much,” Owens added. “They went from winning a couple of games in middle school to being a pretty darn good football team.”

Lima Central Catholic will face Hopewell-Loudon in the regional championship game.

Scoring summary

Lima CC 28 6 7 0 – 41
Crestview 0 6 0 8 – 14

First quarter

LCC – Rossi Moore 5-yard run (Nathan Davisson kick)
LCC – Quintel Peoples 31-yard run (Nathan Davisson kick)
LCC – Rossi Moore 5-yard run (Nathan Davisson kick)
LCC – Rossi Moore 48-yard punt return (Nathan Davisson kick)

Second quarter

CV – JJ Ward 38-yard pass to Rontae Jackson (run failed)
LCC – Dylan Wilson 2-yard run (run failed)

Third quarter

LCC – Rossi Moore 3-yard run (Nathan Davisson kick)

Fourth quarter

CV – Brody Brecht 39-yard run (Logan Gerardot run)