Knights looking for win No. 2 of season

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CONVOY — After a rough start to the season, the Crestview Knights broke into the win column with Friday’s 41-8 victory over Spencerville, but things aren’t going to get easier.

According to the website fantastic50.net, the Knights have the sixth toughest schedule in all of Ohio in Division VI, trailing only Huron, St. Henry, Versailles, Parkway and Spencerville. Including four losses by the Bearcats, Crestview’s first four opponents have a combined record of 10-6, while the remaining six opponents have a combined record of 20-4.

Crestview (1-3, 1-0 NWC) will hit the halfway point of the regular season with a trip to Fort Loramie (3-1), followed by a return home to Allen East (3-1), a game at Delphos Jefferson (3-1), back-to-back home games against Bluffon (4-0) and Columbus Grove (3-1), followed by a game against Lima Central Catholic (4-0) at Spartan Stadium. The slate of remaining conference games indicates just how strong the NWC is this season.

“My original thoughts on the conference haven’t changed since the start of the season,” Crestview head coach Cole Harting said. “I thought the conference was going to be very good from the top down and through the first four weeks, it has proved that.”

The decision was made to shuffle some personnel ahead of last week’s game against Spencerville. Freshman Calin Balliet started at quarterback and accounted for two passing touchdowns and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. He completed 15-of-18 passes for 148 yards and had six carries for 72 yards. Conner Hammons had seven carries for 55 yards and Hayden Waltmire had five rushes for 46 yards, with each one scoring a touchdown.

“Through the first three weeks of the season, our offense struggled with consistency and we felt that changes needed to be made to hopefully get things rolling,” Harting explained. “Cal adds a dimension to the run game that we didn’t have. He also does a nice job getting the ball out quickly to our playmakers. He played a great game last Friday and I look for him to continue to improve as the season continues.” 

“Conner and Hayden bring more size to the running back position, they are still developing at that spot, but they have shown the ability to make tough runs and have the explosion to get into the second level,” he added.

“Coach Harting does a great job leading the Crestview program,” Fort Loramie head coach Spencer Wells said. “They beat us last season and we know we will need to execute well to earn a victory this week. They play physically and always have athletes. We need a great week of practice and look forward to playing at home again on Friday.”

As the Knights hit the halfway point of the season, Harting said the team is in good shape in terms of injuries and while a tough schedule lies ahead, the sole focus is on the Redskins.

Fort Loramie (3-1, 1-0 NWC) dropped the season opener to Minster 27-17, but has since won three straight – 13-12 over Anna, 49-0 over Lehman Catholic and a 28-24 victory over Delphos Jefferson on Saturday.

The Redskins feature a balanced offense that averages 167 yards passing and 160 yards rushing. The ground attack is led by Wyatt Holthaus (57-302, five touchdowns) and Tanner Heckman (57-295, one touchdown). Heckman has also completed 55-of-89 passes for 668 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His favorite receiver, Tanner Ellerman, leads all NWC receivers with 23 catches for 402 yards and six touchdowns. Jayden Luthman has added 17 receptions for 135 yards and a score.

Defensively, Fort Loramie is third behind Lima Central Catholic and Delphos Jefferson in total yards allowed, giving up just 236 yards per game, while allowing 16 points per game.

“Our players have done an excellent job getting better each week,” Fort Loramie head coach Spencer Wells said. “They embrace practice. Our defense is much improved from last season, and our offense is playing efficient football. I’m most proud of this team for taking each game one play at a time. We have faced great competition to start the season, and our players have responded to the adversity in each game.”

“When we need to find a way, we’ve found it way more often than we haven’t,” he continued. “The best teams understand that no game is going to be perfect; you just need to keep swinging. If we keep this mentality, we will continue to improve and be a dangerous football team.”

“Fort Loramie has a great combination of athleticism and size,” Harting said. “They are tough and physical and it shows by their line play on both sides of the ball. They have a very good quarterback that can hurt you with his arm as well as his legs. They have a very good receiving core that can make plays all over the field.” 

“Additionally, they have a big physical running back that is hard to bring down,” he added. “Defensively, they tackle very well and do a great job of creating turnovers. We will have to exceed their physicality and take care of the ball to put ourselves in position to win the game.”

Since joining the NWC as a football-only member in 2024, Fort Loramie and Crestview split their first two games. The Redskins won two years ago 28-21, while Crestview won a shootout, 55-38 last year.