Knights to finish season at No. 2 LCC

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CONVOY — Just how tough has the NWC been this season? Consider this – it appears as though six of the eight members of the conference will be playing in the postseason. Along with that, three of its members – Bluffton, Columbus Grove and Lima Central Catholic – are ranked in the top 10 in their respective divisions.

Crestview (2-7, 2-4 NWC) has played two of those state ranked teams, Bluffton and Columbus Grove the last two Fridays, and the Knights will close out the season on the road against the third one, No. 2 Lima Central Catholic (9-0, 6-0 NWC), Friday night.

“With this being our last game of the year, the message to the guys is to just leave the tank empty,” Crestview head coach Cole Harting said. “It’s the last time our seniors will take the field, leave it all out there and enjoy every second of it.”

Last Friday, the Knights fell behind No. 7 Columbus Grove 49-0 and while the Knights put up 24 points after that, it wasn’t enough, as the Bulldogs won the game 56-24. Cash Hammons completed 13-of-19 passes for 151 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, with both touchdown passes going to Jacoby Gallimore (3-54).

While the season hasn’t been what Harting and the Knights hoped for in terms of wins and losses, he noted there is a silver lining.

“We have played a lot of underclassmen this season, while there are obviously growing pains associated with that, we will be a more experienced team moving forward,” Harting said. “Our kids played hard this year and always kept working despite our record. We had a lot of guys step up and make key contributions at different times throughout the season.”

“When it comes to Crestview we need to be ready to play,” Lima Central Catholic head coach Collin Stolly said. “They always play us tough and they are not going to be afraid to come play us. We are preparing this week just like every other we. We need to make sure our guys are prepared to execute our plan and play well.”

“This is a championship game for us and we need to make sure that we are locked in and taking care of what we need to take care of. They have athletes and they are big up front. We need to win the line of scrimmage and make plays. If we do that I think we will have a good chance to win at the end of the game. We are excited to get to play this week back at home again and our kids will understand the meaning of this game as it is our first chance to win the conference championship since being back in the NWC which is one of the best small school conferences in the state.”

While the Thunderbirds are the lone remaining undefeated team in the NWC, it hasn’t always been easy, with three games ending in a touchdown or less margin. However, those games were against top-notch competition – 37-34 over Division IV Urbana (6-3), 13-6 at Columbus Grove (8-1) and 26-21 at Bluffton (8-1).

“I think our team has handled adversity really well this year,” Lima Central Catholic head coach Collin Stolly said. “There have been three games that we were trailing at halftime and have found ways to come back and win (Urbana, Columbus Grove and Bluffton). We talk all the time about not riding the emotional roller coaster and we have been able to do that.”

“Our coaching staff is phenomenal and we have to have the same mindsets,” he added. “In big moments we need to lead our guys the correct way. We make halftime adjustments and make sure that we put our guys in position to win at the end of games.”

LCC quarterback Brady Parker hasn’t been called on often to pass this year but when he has had to sling it, he’s been more than effective, completing 80-of-120 tosses for 1,357 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Mike Quatman has been a big play receiver with 29 receptions for 741 yards (25.6 average) and five touchdowns. Lausen Flores has 26 receptions for 336 yards and a score and Jaxon White has 19 catches for 314 yards and six touchdowns. The Thunderbirds also have a stable of backs, including Carter Lester (85 carries, 608 yards, 14 touchdowns), Flores (56-528, four touchdowns), Parker (62-367, five touchdowns), and Eddie White (45-240, five touchdowns).

Defensively, LCC is ranked No. 1 in total yards allowed (215 per game), No. 1 against the run (84 yards per game) and No. 1 in points allowed (11.3 per game). In addition, the Thunderbirds have intercepted a conference high 15 passes and recovered eight fumbles, both tops among NWC teams. 

“LCC is a very good football team, probably the most complete team we have seen in years,” Harting said. “They are the NWC champs for a reason. They have size, athleticism, and big play ability at every position.”

“We will have to focus on taking it one play at a time, all eleven players doing their job,” he added. “To compete with a team like this, you can afford to make mistakes.”

Lima Central Catholic won last year’s game 21-13.