Crestview Knights blank Jefferson 36-0

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

DELPHOS — In his first game back from an ankle injury suffered in Week No. 2, Crestview’s Braxton Leeth rushed for 121 yards on just 13 carries and the Knights rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 36-0 win over Delphos Jefferson at Stadium Park Friday night.

Leeth opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run with 9:17 left in the opening quarter and Hayden Perrott kicked the first of three PATs for a 7-0 lead.

“Having Braxton Leeth back in the lineup is huge for us,” Crestview head coach Cole Harting said. “Our line did a great job of playing physical and creating lanes for our running backs to run through.”

In the wind and rain, Perrott kicked a 28-yard field goal 50 seconds into the second period, then on Crestview’s next possession Huxley Grose fired a 71-yard touchdown pass to Liam Putman, giving the Knights a 17-0 lead. Grose, who made his second straight start, went on to finish 5-of-9 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown.

90 seconds later, Cash Hammons intercepted a Kaden Agner passed and raced 30 yards for a touchdown, giving Crestview a 23-0 advantage, a score that stood at halftime.

“He’s been doing a great job week in and week out and has continued to improve so much through the season,” Harting said of Cash. “He has continued to improve so much throughout the season and it’s awesome to see him rewarded with a play like that.”

Leeth added his second touchdown of the night, scoring from five yards out with 9:30 left in the third quarter, giving Crestview a 30-0 lead and sparking the continuous clock rule for the remainder of the game. Evan Brincefield closed out the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:36 left in the game. Brincefield finished with 26 yards on six carries, while Zayden Martin added eight carries for 29 yards.

Putman led the Knights with three catches for 78 yards and a touchdown and Crestview outgained the Wildcats 275-133. Delphos Jefferson did show flashes, including a 26-yard run by Luke Rhode and a 21-yard run by Dean Trentman. Agner completed 3-of-12 passes for 47 yards and an interception.

“Our defense played their tails off tonight,” Harting said. “We were able to create turnovers and did a great job of flying to the ball. It was overall a great team effort tonight.”

Both teams will return to action next Saturday night. Jefferson (1-5, 0-3 NWC) will play Lima Central Catholic at Spartan Stadium and the Knights (3-3, 1-2 NWC) will host state ranked Bluffton (6-0, 3-0 NWC) at 6 p.m. The Pirates blanked No. 10 Lima Central Catholic 35-0 on Friday.

“We are excited to get back to work and play Bluffton next Saturday,” Harting said.

Scoring summary

First quarter

CK (9:17) – Braxton Leeth 9-yard run (Hayden Perrott kick)

Second quarter

CK (11:10) – Hayden Perrott 28-yard field goal

CK (8:33) – Huxley Grose 71-yard pass to Liam Putman (Hayden Perrott kick)

CK (7:01) – Cash Hammons 30-yard interception return (kick failed)

Third quarter

CK (9:30) – Braxton Leeth 5-yard run (Hayden Perrott kick)

Fourth quarter

CK (5:26) – Evan Brincefield 1-yard run (pass failed)