OLIVESBURG — When Steve Haverdill needed a new quarterback, all the Crestview coach had to do was shake the Kuhn family tree.
The Cougars lost All-Ohio signal-caller Ross Kuhn to graduation and Haverdill’s biggest concern heading into last week’s opener at Loudonville was finding his replacement.
Enter Hayden Kuhn.
A junior and Ross’s younger brother, Hayden completed 6 of 9 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a resounding 45-25 win over Loudonville. With the younger Kuhn pulling the trigger, the Cougars piled up 406 yards of total offense and didn’t commit a turnover.
“He’s a pretty strong-willed kid,” Haverdill said. “People saw it on the wrestling mat last season and now they’re going to see it on the football field.”
Haverdill, who doubles as Crestview’s wrestling coach, had a front-row seat as the younger Kuhn placed third at 126 pounds at the Division III state tournament. Kuhn won his opening match before dropping a 3-2 decision to undefeated Rootstown senior Caleb Edwards in the winner’s bracket quarterfinals. Kuhn battled his way through the loser’s bracket and avenged his loss to Edwards with a 2-0 win in the third-place match, finishing 5-1 on the weekend and 44-4 on the season.
“Nothing fazes him. He just goes about his business,” Haverdill said. “Obviously he had some jitters. It was his first time being under center on a Friday night but I thought he collected himself and managed the game very well.”
Senior running back Connor Morse agreed.
“I am so impressed with Hayden,” said Morse, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against the Redbirds. “He showed a lot of heart. He didn’t play nervous.”
Kuhn’s moxie was on full display early in the third quarter, moments after Loudonville’s Peyton Regan scored on a 1-yard run to cut Crestview’s lead to 17-13. On second-and-seven from his own 38, Kuhn faked a handoff to Morse on a perfectly-executed run-pass option and hit streaking tight end Shawn Bailey in stride for a 62-yard touchdown to push the Crestview lead to 24-13.
The Cougars won a share of the Firelands Conference championship last fall, but lost a talented senior class. In addition to the older Kuhn, first team All-Ohio receiver Evan Hamilton also graduated.
“In 20 years of coaching, this may be the first time we walked into Week 1 and had no idea what to expect,” Haverdill said. “We didn’t get to play Loudonville last year because of COVID and they have a new coach, so we had no film from last year.
“You never know in Week 1 what you are going to get.”
Overshadowed by Kuhn and the high-octane offense was a defense that limited Loudonville to 256 yards. Tanner Moore returned an interception for a touchdown while Morse, who moonlights as a defensive back, had a team-high 13 tackles.
“I thought the kids came out and played really well in a new defensive scheme,” Haverdill said. “We have some things to work on, but I was pleased with the effort on that side of the ball.”
Despite all the new faces, the Cougars again expect to be in the mix in the chase for the Firelands Conference crown.
“I think we came out and established our own identity,” Morse said. “Our expectations are to be in the hunt for the conference (title) and go to the playoffs.”
