Knights faced a tough schedule in 2023

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

CONVOY — The 2023 season is in the books for the Crestview Knights and first year head coach Cole Harting.

The former Van Wert offensive coordinator brought his up-tempo offense with him and it was a big factor in a season that ended with seven wins, five games against state-ranked teams, a return to the playoffs, including an upset win over the state’s No. 6 ranked team. For Harting and his players, it was a season full of memories.

“There are so many great memories, but a few that stick out the most are our rivalry wins over Parkway where Jaret Harting returned a kickoff to put them away in the fourth quarter, and Isaac Kline’s interception against Wayne Trace in the final minute to seal the victory,” Harting said. “The other memory that stands out is how excited our players got when their teammate, Braxton Leeth, broke the single game rushing touchdown record (six vs. Spencerville).”

Other notables from the season: in his first year as the full-time starter, Bryson Penix was the NWC’s leading passer (134-of-227, 1,965 yards, 14 touchdowns, 13 interceptions; Beau Eggleston led NWC receivers with 51 receptions for 639 yards and five touchdowns, while Kellin Putman, Hunter Jones and Wren Sheets combined for 69 receptions for 1,120 yards and seven touchdowns. Braxton Leeth eclipsed the 1,200 yard rushing mark (197-1,240, 19 touchdowns), while Jaret Harting and Isaac Kline combined for nearly 800 yards and nine touchdowns. Kline was the team’s leading tackler with 80, and Eggleston had a team high five sacks. Jones led the Knights with five interceptions.

The Knights enjoyed a four game winning streak during the regular season and also faced some heavy hitters, including McComb, Bluffton, Columbus Grove and Leispic. After sweating out a playoff spot, the Knights knocked off No. 2 seed Tiffin Calvert 42-14 in the opening round, then fell to Lima Central Catholic 44-28 in the regional semifinals.

Along the way, Harting learned about the Northwest Conference, which was new to him.

“What I learned about the conference was that every team is extremely well coached and they do it week in and week out with small roster sizes,” he explained. “Every coach maximizes the talent they have and they do a wonderful job getting their guys in positions to make plays.”

While Crestview’s playoff run ended earlier than players and fans had hoped, Harting said qualifying for the postseason was a huge boost for the Knights program.

“Having an extra couple of weeks practice is always a good thing, it allows our younger guys continue to get reps and improve at their positions,” he stated. “If we can continue to get to the postseason, that allows us to keep stealing reps, and by the time these guys get to their senior year, they could have upwards of a full season of extra practice. That’s where we are trying to get with our program.”

Harting also had nothing but praise for his 13 member senior class – Evan Sowers, Hunter Jones, Kellin Putman, Jaret Harting, Isaac Kline, Levi Grace, Beau Eggleston, Garrett Yinger, Kaden Wolford, Preston Kreischer, Connor Sheets, Evan Walls and Nathaniel Friemoth.

“I am so thankful of our 13 seniors,” Harting said. “I am their third coach they have had since they were freshmen and from Day No. 1 they were all in…that speaks to their maturity and devotion to our program. They provided such great leadership on and off the field. Our program is in a great place because of them.”

As far as the future, Harting said continued improvement by this year’s underclassman will be a key factor.

“This off-season our biggest priority will be to continue to build culture and toughness in the weight room,” he said. “We are losing a lot of guys who played a lot of snaps and we need some underclass to continue to improve in order to put themselves in a position to help our football team next fall. I’m also excited to go watch these guys compete in other sports this winter and spring.”