So far this season, teams cannot catch up to the Crestwood Red Devils’ football team when they get their running game going.
That trend continued when the Red Devils hammered Chagrin Valley Conference foe Beachwood 38-7 in a crossover game, for their fourth straight victory last Thursday night at Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua.
It marks the first time since 2019 the Red Devils (4-1, 0-0) have won four out of their first five games at the halfway point of the season.
“It’s a big deal,” said Coach Jack D’Amato. “Our next five weeks are no slouches and every week it is going to be a tough game for us because we start with Painesville Harvey and then we go to Cardinal in Middlefield, then we have Berkshire at home and then we go to Kirtland. Everyone knows what they can do but also the rest of the league is not going to be a cakewalk for anyone.”
In addition to being played on Thursday night because of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, it became an even more unusual circumstance when the game started with a running clock.
Due to the Bison roster being overcome with injuries and only dressing 17 players, the Red Devils’ fourth-year coach said that both coaches agreed to start play with a running clock at the beginning of the game.
“That’s the first time we have ever experienced that from the start,” D’Amato added “Obviously the State rules are that n the second half when you get up by 30 points it is a running clock, but that is the first time I have experienced that from the beginning. But whatever we have to do to get the game in and make sure all of the kids are safe, that is the most important thing.”
Crestwood struck first when junior tailback Nate Blasiole scored on a 4-yard touchdown run followed by a two-point conversion, pushing the Red Devils ahead 8-0.
Being short-handed did not slow down Beachwood from marching down the field into Crestwood territory and moving the ball inside the 20.
According to D’Amato, despite all of the Red Devils’ success this season, they have been more of a second half team and it showed up again when the Bison engineered a promising drive.
“They got down inside the 10 and we gave up some chunk yards on some scramble plays,” he said. “We had some pressure on the quarterback but were not actually able to sack him. He got away from a couple of guys and they drove down the field. We have been a second-half team this whole season which is crazy. It drives me insane.”
The momentum swung back in Crestwood’s favor when the defense blocked a Beachwood field goal attempt and Blasiole scored on a 93-yard touchdown run on the very next play and another successful two-point conversion made it 16-0.
D’Amato acknowledged that after the blocked field goal, his team woke up.
Blasiole continued sparking Crestwood’s offense, running for his third touchdown of the game on a 7-yard run, increasing the lead to 24-0 after another successful two-point conversion.
Blasiole finished the game with 291 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 16 attempts.
After posting 1,018 yards in ten games last year, the Crestwood junior has already eclipsed that mark, collecting 1,090 rushing yards after only five games.
“Nate is a special kid and he is able to just cut on a dime then he can outrun you and he also will have the ability to go right through as well, so he really has three things you are looking for with great running backs,” D’Amato said.
Although the Bisons scored in the third quarter on a 66-yard touchdown run by senior tailback/safety Mar’Tez Pinkney, trimming Crestwood’s lead to 32-7, the Red Devils dictated the rest of the game.
Having played seven sophomores and two freshmen last year during a 4-6 campaign, the experience gained by the underclassmen has paid off as the Red Devils have dominated their non-conference portion of the schedule.
“We took our lumps for sure last year but this year it is a new year,” D’Amato said. “Our guys have bought into the weight room and we spent a lot of time there in the offseason, we got bigger, faster and stronger which is really what you want to do every offseason but this has been the best offseason we have had, numbers-wise, and the kids are buying into our vision of the program.”
This week, Crestwood begins CVC Valley Division play and will welcome Harvey to town at 7 p.m.
