HOWARD — Crestview running back Adison Reymer continues to make up for lost time.
A converted receiver who hasn’t lined up in the backfield since his freshman year, Reymer rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars rumbled to a 35-0 win over East Knox at Chet Looney Stadium.
“It’s definitely a big adjustment,” Reymer said of the position change. “I played running back a little bit my freshman year, then I transitioned to receiver as a sophomore to get on the field as fast as possible. It’s definitely a different experience when you don’t line up on the edge every play.”
The highly-regarded Cougars (2-0) took advantage of an East Knox miscue to get on the board early in the first quarter. The Bulldogs (1-1) went three-and-out on their first series and lined up to punt from deep in their own territory. Cole Delaughder’s punt never got off, however, as Caden Cunningham came crashing through the line and blocked it.
Crestview took possession at the East Knox 1-yard line and on the Cougars’ first offensive play from scrimmage, Reymer plowed in for the score and a 7-0 Crestview lead with 10:05 remaining in the first quarter.
“We always want to get it jump-started somehow,” Crestview coach Steve Haverdill said. “We noticed on film that there was the possibility (of a block) up the middle, so we put that in this week and sure enough it was there.
“We executed and it really set the tone for the game.”
East Knox coach Andy Beatty agreed.
“When you give a really good team the ball at the 1-yard line, it’s hard to overcome that,” Beatty said. “Crestview is a really good team and capitalized on our mistake, but our boys never folded.”
The Cougars extended the lead to 14-0 on fullback Wade Bolin’s 2-yard run late in the first quarter and took a 21-0 advantage on Reymer’s 5-yard run with 3:22 showing in the half.
Crestview put it away midway through the third quarter. The Cougars forced a turnover on downs at their own 29-yard line and on the very first play of the ensuing drive, Reymer bounced outside and raced 71 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 bulge with 6:36 to play in the period.
“I saw the end crash down and the edge open up a little bit,” Reymer said of his career-long run. “I got to the edge and I was one-on-one with the corner. Coach (Scott) Durbin always tells me to visualize taking it to the house and that’s what I did.”
Reymer, who moonlights as a safety on defense, picked off a pass at the East Knox 25 with 5:07 to play in the third. Less than two minutes later, Michael Mays scored on a 3-yard run to make it 35-0.
While the Bulldogs had trouble getting anything going offensively, the opportunistic defense forced three turnovers. Ryan Morton recovered a pair of fumbles.
“The growth we had from Week 1 to Week 2 was substantial,” Beatty said. “I told our guys after the game that, if we had played Crestview in Week 1, they might have hung a hundred on us.
“I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made. It we continue to make those sort of gains every week, I think this is going to be a really good football team down the road.”
