Allen East rolls by Crestview 41-0

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CONVOY — It wasn’t the homecoming result Crestview was hoping for, as the Knights were shut out by Allen East 41-0 on Friday. It was the second straight shutout loss for Crestview.

“Our kids are playing hard right now, but our execution is not nearly where it needs to be,” Crestview head coach Cole Harting said. “We have to figure out what we are good at and work hard to get better in those areas.”

Five of Allen East’s touchdowns were 30 yards or longer.

In the first quarter, Miles McDorman raced in from 38 yards out, then in the second quarter, McDorman scored on a 30-yard run. Quarteback Keagan Jones found Cam Smith for a pair of second quarter touchdowns, one from 66 yards out, and the other from 55 yards out, giving the Mustangs a 27-0 lead, a score that stood at halftime. Jones didn’t throw often but was effective when he did, completing 8-of-12 tosses for 200 yards.

“We gave up too many big plays on the defensive side of the ball, which is something we haven’t done all year,” Harting said.

Allen East (4-2, 1-2 NWC) set the continuous clock rule in motion with two third quarter scores, the first on a 30-yard run by Jones, and the other a 2-yard run by McDorman, who finished with 141 yards on 15 carries.

The Knights moved the ball on their first possession but came away emptyhanded with a missed 35-yard field goal. After that, Crestview was plagued by turnovers. Freshman quarterback Calin Balliet connected on 14-of-21 passes for 75 yards and was intercepted three times.

The Knights (1-5, 1-2 NWC) will travel to Delphos to face Jefferson Friday night.

“We will regroup and get back to work,” Harting said. “We are playing a lot of younger players right now but they are getting valuable experience that will help us as we move through the season.”