CRESTVIEW — With the smell of freshly cut grass and the booming sound of the Big Red Machine in the stands, high school football season began on Friday in the Hub City.
However, no one seemed to tell that to the Bulldogs’ varsity offense. Junior varsity, on the other hand, showed up to play the first half against the Washington Wildcats from Pensacola.
Two plays into the game, the Bulldog defense put points on the board with an interception by sophomore Austin Chapman returned for a touchdown.
A 25-yard touchdown pass to junior Hunter Nichols would bring the score to 14-0 to end the first quarter. Nichols would get over 60 receiving yards on the day.
Freshman Chris Johns would get a second interception for the JV defense and follow it a few plays later with a 3-yard touchdown run, putting the final points on the board for Crestview 21-0.
After the Big Red Machine finished taking the field for their halftime show, the Kickoff Classic shifted in the wrong direction for both varsity offenses.
Over a dozen offensive penalties from the Bulldogs and the Wildcats told the story of the second half, most of which consisted of false starts and offensive off-sides.
The third quarter ended in a scoreless draw.
“Just a really embarrassing performance by an experienced team,” said coach Tim Hatten. “It was a wake-up call for us.”
Weather conditions shortened practice time for Crestview throughout this week.
“I didn’t think it would have that much effect on us,” Hatten said.
A little light seemed to shine early in the fourth quarter, with senior wide receiver Andrew Adkins getting a 40-yard touchdown catch from senior quarterback Rusty Moorer, bringing the Bulldogs up 7-0.
However, miscues from Crestview’s offense continued; they failed to capitalize on good field position, and allowed the Washington offense to gather momentum for a touchdown followed by a 2-point conversion with 90 seconds left on the clock to give the Wildcats an 8-7 lead.
Crestview failed to rally, unable to get any deep plays compounded by an intentional grounding penalty, ending their series four-and-out turning the ball over on downs, giving the Wildcats the win of the half.
Looking forward to their first official game against Northview, Hatten said their offense must produce a high-scoring game, “We’ve got to score 30 points a game. We must.”
Hatten also said the defense needed to make stops on third and long.
The Bulldogs start with a clean slate, and a little more insight going into their game against the Northview Chiefs, on Friday, Aug. 27.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview coach sets goal after Kickoff Classic loss (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)