CRESTVIEW — A week before opening District 3-6A play the Crestview High School football teams seems to be hitting its stride.
The Bulldogs hosted an always tough Pace Patriot team at Jack Foster Stadium Friday and for once the ball seemed to bounce Crestview’s way as the Bulldogs scored 17 points off three Patriot turnovers in a 45-28 win.
“We are going to get better,” Crestview Coach Tim Hatten said after the second straight Bulldog win. “I think we are better than that.
“I think we had an OK performance tonight. I wouldn’t call it an A by any means. We were able to make athletic plays, that, quite frankly we haven’t been able to make a bunch of in the past.”
Quarterback Corey Armstrong and wide receiver Andrews Adkins teamed up on scoring passes of 37 and 28 yards to power the Bulldog attack. Armstrong also scored on a 2-yard run to put Crestview on the scoreboard.
Pace (2-3) struck first on its opening possession of the night. Tailback Anthony Johnson Jr. scored on a 61-yard run less than a minute into the game and it looked as if the Patriots were off and running.
Crestview (3-2) answered the Patriot score with a 9-play drive covering 36 yards that ended with Armstrong in the end zone.
Seth Kootsouradis connected on a 25-yard field goal three plays after Marcus Purcell recovered a Pace fumble deep in Patriot territory.
Johnson’s second score of the night put the Patriots up 14-10 with 4:19 left in the first quarter. The Pace lead lasted all of 19 seconds as Marquis McClain took a handoff from Armstrong and raced 62 yards down the north sideline for the go ahead score.
Less than a minute later Tatum Taylor fielded a Pace fumble on a bounce and took it 25 yards for a Bulldog touchdown as Crestview led 24-14 at the half.
A Johnson touchdown with 35 seconds left in the half cut the Bulldog led to three points, but that’s a close as the Patriots would get.
Johnson had 189 yards on 19 carries at the half, but things got tougher for him in the second half as the Bulldogs held him to 65 yards on 14 carries. Johnson finished the night with 254 yards rushing on 29 carries and three touchdowns.
Hatten pulled out all the stops in the third quarter when Kootsouradis hit Matt French with a 20-yard pass on a fake punt. Two plays later Armstrong hit Adkins with the 37-yard touchdown pass with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
Antryon Gloster scored on a 1-yard run to stretch the Bulldog lead to 38-21. Crestview’s final score came on the 28-yard pass from Armstrong to Adkins where Adkins high pointed the ball and took it away from the Pace defender.
Pace scored late in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run by Kieon Davis.
Crestview finished the game with 360 yards in total offense. The Bulldogs ran for 137 yards and threw for 223.
Armstrong was 12-of-18 for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Adkins had five catches for 109 yard. McClain led Crestview with 84 yards rushing.
Pace had 387 yards in total offense. The Patriots ran for 337 yards and threw for 50.
Patriot quarterback Ashton Stephens was 5-of-10 passing. Ty Oxford had two catches for 25 yards.
The Bulldogs host Choctaw on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Adkins, Armstrong come up big as Crestview beats Pace (PHOTOS)