Interceptions key to Crestview grid win

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

CONVOY – Pass interceptions burned the Wayne Trace Raiders badly, with the Crestview Knights converting two of their six interceptions into touchdowns to key a 40-28 victory over the Raiders during a storm-delayed non-conference football game completed on Saturday evening.

The Knights’ efforts got a big boost when Isaiah Simerman grabbed a pass from Wayne Trace quarterback Colby Speice at the Crestview 1-yard-line and ran it all the way back for a 99-yard touchdown with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter.

The second interception was also crucial, as Jordan Roop put the game out of reach when he intercepted another Raider pass for a touchdown with the Knights leading 34-28 with just 2:20 left in the game.

The Knights led 13-6 when Friday’s storm-delayed game resumed on Saturday. Crestview’s first score came on a 2-yard run by Jacob Harmon at the 4:37 mark of the first quarter to make it 6-0, Knights.

Wayne Trace evened the score at 6-all with 35 seconds left in the first stanza when Speice hit Jake Gerber for a 24-yard scoring strike.

Crestview quarterback Trevor Roop scored with 10:01 left in the second period when he ran 27 yards for a touchdown. Kameron Grubaugh kicked the extra point and it was 13-6 in favor of the Knights.

That’s the way it ended Friday, but Speice quickly got things rolling for Wayne Trace when the game resumed on Saturday, hitting Korbin Showalter for a 62-yard TD with 2:55 left in the first half to cut the Crestview lead to 1, 13-12.

After the break, the Knights went back to work, with Simerman’s pass interception putting Crestview ahead by 8 points, 20-12 at the 7:38 mark of the third quarter. The Raiders weren’t done yet, though, and tied the game up with 5:28 remaining in the third stanza when Speice hit Jake Arend for a 9-yard touchdown, and then hit Gerber on a two-point PAT pass play to make it 20-all.

The Knights came back to score at the 10:56 mark of the final stanza as Harman ran 5 yards for a touchdown and Grubaugh kicked the PAT for a 7-point lead, 27-20.

Crestview again scored less than two minutes later when Roop found Simerman for a 34-yard scoring strike with 9:01 left in the game. Grubaugh again kicked the PAT and the Knights led by two TDs, 34-20.

The Raiders came back again, as Speice lofted a 25-yard pass to Cade Harvey and then hit him again for a two-point PAT to make it 34-28 with 5:21 left in the game.

Wayne Trace got one more chance to win the game, but Jordan Roop’s interception for a touchdown ended that hope.

Crestview compiled 335 yards of total offense, with 293 yards of that coming on the ground. The Raiders had just 35 yards of rushing offense, but passed for 264 yards on the night. Speice was 22 of 48 on the night, with four touchdowns and six interceptions. Harmon was the game’s leading rusher with 128 yards on 16 attempts — for an 8-yard-per-carry average — while Trevor Roop rushed for 125 yards on 24 carries (5.2 yards per carry).

Showalter led all receivers with 111 yards on two catches, including his 62-yard touchdown, while Harvey caught nine passes for 71 yards and a touchdown for Wayne Trace, and Gerber had four receptions for 57 yards and a TD.

The Knights are now 2-1 on the year, while Wayne Trace is also 2-1 overall.