Knights to face Delphos Jefferson

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CONVOY — It’s well known that the Crestview Knights have played a challenging schedule this fall. The Knights (1-6, 1-2 NWC) have lost six games to teams with a combined record of 23-7.

This week, Crestview will face 3-3 (0-3 NWC) Delphos Jefferson, a team that has greatly improved from last season.

After an 0-3 start, the Knights made some changes to the lineup and inserted some younger players on the field. Head coach Cole Harting says despite a 1-2 record since then, he’s pleased with what he’s seen.

“We are gaining a lot of experience from our younger guys,” Harting said.  “They have continued to show improvement from week to week and that is what we need to see.”

One of the younger players is freshman quarterback Calin Balliet, who has completed 41-of-59 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.

Defensively, Harting cited the recent play of defensive lineman Kale Lichtensteiger (6-0, 210 senior) and Denver McDougall (6-5, 220 senior).

“Those guys have done a great job of bringing the energy and have executed their assignments very well,” Harting said.

“Crestview is always a very solid team,” Delphos Jefferson head coach Allan Pohlman said. “They have a big line up front and they play hard. They also have a very promising young quarterback that can hurt you if you are not careful. He has the ability to run and throw. Anytime you deal with a dual threat quarterback, it causes problems for the defense.”

“They are a better football team than what their record says, so we need to be prepared for a good battle Friday night,” he added.

The Wildcats got off to a 3-0 start, including a 21-20 upset of Paulding in Week 3, which remains as the only loss this season by the Panthers. The three wins equaled the number of wins by the program over the past three seasons combined. Since the 3-0 start, Delphos Jefferson has lost three straight, 28-24 to Fort Loramie, 49-7 to Bluffton and 43-6 to Columbus Grove, three teams with a combined record of 15-3.

“It was a tough stretch the last three weeks,” Pohlman said. “We suffered a key injury to Dean Trentman vs. Fort Loramie and that made us have to make some adjustments to personnel on both sides of the ball. We moved Heath Schnipke to running back and moved Gavin Howell to quarterback. We feel very good about having these two guys in their new positions and we saw some great things from both of them.”

“Also, we did play well against Bluffton and Grove at times,” Pohlman continued. “I think we found that physically, we can play with anyone. We now need to get better at the little things and cut down on mistakes. Also, our kids showed grit through this stretch. No matter the circumstance, they never stop fighting.”

“Our expectations this season were to win some games, and we have. At the beginning of the season, our goal was to make the playoffs, and that goal is still very much alive. We have to win a few more down the stretch here and we believe we can.”

Despite the recent losses, Harting said he’s impressed by the Wildcats.

“They have been very young the past few seasons,” Harting explained. “I thought they showed a lot of improvement last season despite their record.  Those young players are now experienced and are making key contributions to their team.”

“They have really good size and athleticism at a bunch of positions,” he continued. “Defensively, they are stout up front and do a nice job tackling and stopping the run. Offensively, they have a lot of very good skill players that have shown the ability to be very explosive. We will need to come out and match their physicality and create explosive plays to put ourselves in position to win the game.”

Even with the position changes, Schnipke has completed 45-of-91 passes for 581 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s been a dual-threat and leads the team in rushing with 94 carries for 619 yards and six touchdowns, placing him second among conference rushers. Dean Trentman tallied 48 carries for 265 yards and three scores. Kellen Brotherwood leads the Wildcats with 25 receptions for 369 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Delphos Jefferson is fourth among NWC team against the run, allowing just 123 yards per game.

Crestview won last year’s game 35-0 and has won three straight against the Wildcats. Delphos Jefferson’s last win came during the 2022 season, 21-7.