It was long overdue for the Crestwood Red Devils’ football team to record its first Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division victory of the season. The Red Devils celebrated homecoming weekend by beating conference foe Cardinal 58-26 last Friday evening at Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua.
“It means a lot,” said Red Devils’ Coach Jack D’Amato. “These kids fought hard after last week. We thought we played a physical game last week. Moral victories don’t matter. We are into winning games. We were able to do that on Friday night and I am just proud of the guys and I am just proud of the way they all kept fighting for each other and doing what they needed to do.”
When Crestwood (5-2, 1-1) first joined the CVC Valley Division in 2021, they introduced themselves to the Huskies by winning their first conference showdown. Since then, Cardinal (1-6, 0-2) had dominated the rivalry by winning the last two games.
According to senior tailback/defensive back Nate Blasiole, the Red Devils were not going to allow Cardinal to leave the CVC Valley Division owning a three-year winning streak against them.
“It is the last time we see them for awhile,” he said. “It’s been personal between us. It is a big rivalry. We just had to take it to them.”
After Crestwood suffered its second shutout loss of the season on Sept. 27 in its CVC Valley Division opener against Chagrin Falls, it was back to business.
The Red Devils relied heavily on their rushing attack and seized control in the first quarter, taking a 6-0 lead on a seven-yard touchdown run by senior running back/linebacker Tristen Addis. Crestwood had to settle fo six points after its two-point conversion failed.
Although the Red Devils forced a turnover on downs, it could not extend the lead and the Huskies eventually tied the score at 6-6 when senior quarterback/defensive back Cal Cimenello scored on a seven-yard touchdown run. The teams continued trading touchdowns in the first half but the Huskies did not sustain as many drives as Crestwood and the Red Devils’ running game continued yielding positive results, fueling them to a 20-6 lead in the first half.
The Huskies’ passing game ignited the offense, with the 5-foot-11 Cimenello using his legs to extend several plays and converting third and fourth downs, resulting in him connecting with senior running back/wide receiver/outside linebacker Reese Soltis for a 36-yard touchdown pass, trimming Crestwood’s lead to 20-13 in the second quarter.
Cardinal Coach Rich Turner said that his team’s hunger for explosive plays kept them within striking distance.
“It is amazing,” he said. “On Friday night, senior quarterback/wide receiver/defensive back Charles Soltis stepped up. We were missing one of our receivers/defensive backs so we were even short-handed on Friday night.”
The Red Devils responded with a long drive at the end of the half to go ahead 28-13 on a five-yard touchdown run by the 5-foot-9 Blasiole.
Blasiole sparked the Red Devils by scoring two touchdowns in the second half, one from 41 yards out and the other on a 35-yard run and finished the game with 304 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries.
“It was an unbelievable night for Nate,” said Crestwood’s fifth-year coach. “He is like lightning in a bottle.”
Blasiole said he was not pleased with the way he ran the ball to start the game but turned things around in the second half.
“I think I could have had a better first quarter so I had to really pick it up in the second half and be a second-half back,” he said. “The team really helped me. It was not only me, it was all 11 of us and the whole team.”
After dictating the pace of their offense on the ground in the first half, the Red Devils kept running the ball and their physical style of play overpowered Cardinal, resulting in several drives that needed two plays or less to take a commanding 44-13 advantage near the end of the third quarter, triggering the running clock.
Turner acknowledged that in addition to Crestwood having a dominant rushing attack, having a physically bigger team made it very difficult for the Huskies to keep pace through the entire game.
“Our kids wore out because our offensive line plays defensive line,” he said. “When you have that many two-way starters, your steps slow in the second half and it did not help.”
The Red Devils will host Berkshire on Friday night at 7 p.m. while Cardinal will host Fairview at Richard A. Moss Field in Middlefield the same night at 7 p.m.
