Crestview falls to Minster in regional semis

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

LIMA — For the second straight season, Crestview’s football season came to a heartbreaking end at Spartan Stadium in Lima.

Last year, the Knights lost to McComb 35-28 in double overtime in the regional finals and Friday night, Crestview fell to Minster 35-32 in the Division VII, Region 28 semifinals.

Drew Kline’s pass to the end zone with no time left hit the hands of a defender, then was almost caught before falling to the artificial turf.

Crestview finished the season with a school record 10 wins (against just two losses), while Minster improved to 8-4. The Wildcats will play in an all-Midwest Athletic Conference final against Delphos St. John’s next Friday night.

After giving up a go-ahead eight yard touchdown run to quarterback Jared Huelsman, the Knights began a drive from their own 29 with 1:33 left in the game. Drew Kline ran four straight times for 15 yards and completed back to back passes to wide receiver Wade Sheets for 33 yards. After an incomplete pass, Kline scrambled for 15 yards to the Minster seven yard line, before the Knights called timeout with three seconds left. The junior quarterback used his legs to buy time on the final snap, but was eventually forced to throw the ball into the end zone, where it was tipped by a defender, then touched the hands of Sheets and Grant Schlagbaum before falling incomplete.

“I think it was two fairly evenly matched teams that played their hearts out,” Crestview head coach Jared Owens said. “The playmakers were able to make plays, but it turned out their playmakers made one more play than ours and that was the difference.”

“Our kids laid it on the line,” Owens added.

After a scoreless first quarter, Crestview found the end zone with 4:40 left in the second quarter. The drive began after Sheets intercepted Huelsman’s pass and returned it to the Minster 48. The Knights ran eight plays and capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kline to Sheets, who went up high to make a spectacular catch in the back right corner of the end zone. Dylan Hicks kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Minster responded with a quick drive that included two passes for 56 yards and three runs for 10 yards, including a two-yard touchdown run by Huelsman with 1:58 left. The kick failed, and Crestview led 7-6.

After that, the Knights moved 61 yards in seven plays and scored on a throwback three-yard touchdown pass from Kline to Charles Stefanek. The PAT by Hicks was blocked, but Crestview enjoyed a 13-6 lead going into halftime.

Both teams began the third quarter with quick touchdown drives.

The Wildcats went 68 yards in just 70 seconds and scored on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Huelsman to Alex Lehmkuhl. Isaac Scmiesing’s PAT tied the game at 13, but four plays later, Kline followed his blockers across the field and scored on a 55 yard touchdown run for a 20-13 lead.

About 90 seconds later, Stefanek intercepted a pass and raced 32 yards for a touchdown and a 26-13 Crestview advantage.

Undeterred, Minster drove 69 yards in nine plays and scored on a 12 yard touchdown run by Huelsman to trim Crestview’s lead to 26-20.

The Knights responded with a 14-play drive that lasted nearly seven minutes, but turned it over on downs at the Minster 31 yard line. The Wildcats again drove 69 yards in nine plays and took a 27-26 lead on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Huelsman to Lehmkuhl.

Once again, Crestview put together a drive that began with a 38 yard pass from Kline to Stefanek and ended with a 25 yard touchdown run by Kline with four minutes left. Kline’s two-point pass was intercepted, but the Knights led 32-27.

After a squib kick by Crestview, the Wildcats took over at their own 39 and marched 61 yards for what proved to be the game winning touchdown. Five of the six plays were runs by Huelsman, including an eight yard scoring run.

Huelsman finished the game with 23 carries for 153 yards and three touchdowns, and he completed 11 of 16 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Lehmkuhl caught four passes for 109 yards and two scores.

The Wildcats finished the game with 397 yards of offense, including 192 rushing.

Crestview ended with 436 yards, including 277 on the ground. Kline carried 33 times for 234 yards (which put him over 1,000 yards rushing for the season), and he completed 15 of 23 passes for 159 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Sheets eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the year, with eight catches for 82 yards.

“This loss doesn’t define the kids, it doesn’t define our program, it doesn’t define them as human beings,” Owens said. “They deserved to hold their heads high after walking off the field.”

Scoring summary:

CHS 4:40 2nd qtr: Drew Kline 13 yard pass to Wade Sheets (Dylan Hicks kick)
MHS 1:58 2nd qtr: Jared Huelsman 2 yard run (kick failed)
CHS 0:25 2nd qtr: Drew Kline 3 yard pass to Charles Stefanek (kick blocked)
MHS 10:40 3rd qtr: Jared Huelsman 47 yard pass to Alex Lehmkuhl (Isaac Schmiesing kick)
CHS 9:01 3rd qtr: Drew Kline 55 yard run (Dylan Hicks kick)
CHS 7:49 3rd qtr: Charles Stefanek 32 yard interception return (kick failed)
MHS 4:38 3rd qtr: Jared Huelsman 12 yard run (Isaac Schmiesing kick)
MHS 6:29 4th qtr: Jared Huelsman 9 yard pass to Alex Lehmkuhl (Isaac Schmiesing kick)
CHS 4:00 4th qtr: Drew Kline 25 yard run (pass intercepted)
MHS 1:39 4th qtr: Jared Huelsman 8 yard run (Jared Huelsman run)