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The Lima News
High school football: Harting has Crestview ready to contend
By Chris Howell,
2 days ago
Crestview quarterback Bryson Penix and running back Braxton Leeth both return to the Knights following NWC honorable mentions in 2023. Jessica Trinko | The Lima News
CONVOY — Last fall, Cole Harting was entering his first season as a head coach.
Crestview was coming off a down year at 4-6, missed the playoffs and lost Carson Hunter, its three-sport athlete and starting quarterback, to graduation.
For Harting, last season was about just trying to stay on top of things in his new role. He had a new system to implement with a new staff around him and a new group of players to become familiar with.
The Knights responded to their new coach by going 7-5, including a 5-1 start, and they won a playoff game 42-14 over second-seeded Tiffin Calvert.
This season, the next step is to sustain that success in a community with high expectations, something that Harting says always comes back to the kids in the program.
“It all comes back to them,” he said. “From last year to this year, our kids have worked really hard. We graduated a group that’s hard to replace, but these kids are the secret to the success. If they work hard, they’ll always give themselves a chance to win.”
Crestview lost 13 seniors to graduation, a group that included its top two receivers Beau Eggleston (51 catches, 639 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Kellin Putman (27 catches, 410 yards, 3 touchdowns), its second-leading rusher Jaret Harting (60 carries, 453 yards, 5 touchdowns) and its defensive leader Isaac Kline (80 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions).
Offensively they’re still in good shape, however, with the return of starting quarterback Bryson Penix, running back Braxton Leeth and wide receiver Wren Sheets.
In his first season as the full-time starter, Penix threw for 1,965 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for 173 yards and four touchdowns.
He constantly tested the secondaries by throwing the ball downfield, something that paid off many times but also resulted in a league-high 13 interceptions.
After one year in the system, Harting believes those numbers will even out.
“My offense has always been centered around the quarterback, so to come in last year and not have any of that experience and play the way he did was phenomenal,” Harting said of his senior signal-caller. “After being in the system for a year with an entire offseason to prepare, that experience will be huge for him. Knowing that, I think the turnovers will go way down and the production is going to go up even higher.”
Penix, who was hesitant to play quarterback when Harting was first hired, earned an honorable mention in the Northwest Conference last year.
“He was more of a linebacker when I got here, and coach (Jake) Harmon (defensive coordinater) has made the comment that he’s probably one of the best he’s ever had,” Harting said. “Now he’s fully embraced the role as quarterback, and that’s huge. It’s a position that you have to want if you’re going to excel at it, and now he’s taken the next step and doing an incredible job.”
Leeth returns in the backfield after a sophomore season where he ran for 1,240 yards and 19 touchdowns.
He was set to split time with Jaret Harting last season, but when Harting went down with a leg injury, Leeth took the job and ran with it.
“He’s definitely one of the top running backs in the league,” coach Harting said. “He’s a kid that works so hard on his exact role. He’ll come out with his dad to the field and do running back drills in the offseason even when it’s snowing out. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a kid that dedicated to that specific position in all the years I’ve coached.”
Sheets (402 yards, 4 touchdowns) projects to lead a group of wide receivers that also include Isaiah Barton, Hayden Perrott, Liam Putman and Braxtyn Couts, among others.
On the line, Aieden Adams and Ryden Cereghin return, while Denver McDougall, Kale Lichtensteiger, Will Sheets and Kane Roberts are some new names in the mix.
When asked about the defense, Harting said the Knights return nine starters, and plenty of players will play two-way roles, starting with Sheets, Putman, Adams, Couts and Zayden Martin, who finished second on the team in tackles last season.
He also credited defensive coordinator Jake Harmon for the way he prepares his unit.
“He does a really good job of developing our guys on that side of the ball,” Harting said of Harmon. “We return two defensive ends in Liam Putman and Wren Sheets. We need to fill some spots in the interior, but we definitely have some guys that can step up and make those plays.”
The Knights open the season with three straight home games against Parkway, McComb and Wayne Trace. After that, they hit the road to face Fort Loramie, one of two new team in the conference this year along with Lima Central Catholic.
Crestview visits LCC in week 10. The two teams have met in three of the last four years, and the T-Birds are 3-0 in those matchups. This time they’ll face off as conference rivals instead of on a playoff collision course.
Adding LCC and Fort Loramie is something Harting sees as a benefit to the Northwest Conference.
“They’re two really good programs, and the opportunity to play them just ups the competition for everyone,” he said. “Really, there are no weeks off and I’m excited to compete against them.”
The Knights play six home games in 2024. They have an important two-game stretch against Bluffton and Columbus Grove, the conference’s top two teams last season, in weeks seven and eight.
Top newcomers: Denver McDougall (So., OL/DL), Kale Lichtensteiger (So., OL/LB), Will Sheets (So., OL/DE), Kane Roberts (Sr., OL/DL), Cash Hammons (Fr., WR/DB)
2024 schedule
(Kickoffs scheduled for 7 p.m.; subject to change)
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