What We Saw: Crestwood 49, Richland Northeast 21

Chris Dearing August 18, 2023 @ 11:59 PM

DAZELL | A lot of people across the state know about senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='589009' first='Javion' last='Martin'] and what he does for the Crestwood offense. What they may not know about is a defensive front seven that is as solid as you will find in Class 3A.   The three down linemen - [player_tooltip player_id='589017' first='Javion' last='Lammie'] (pictured), Carron Dawson and Donald Kegler - are hard to handle. Add in a linebacking group of [player_tooltip player_id='1142845' first='Brandon' last='Cowell'], Jenoryen Gleaton, Robert Pugh and Seneca Moore and that may be more than enough for an offense to overcome.   The Knights defense was dominant in the first half as they cruised to a 49-21 season-opening victory over Richland Northeast Friday night.   “They pride themselves on coming to work every day and they're getting better,” Crestwood coach Roosevelt Nelson said. “They're a gang of no names for the most part. A lot of them are seniors that's been here four years playing for us. That group is going to be good for us.”   Cowell set the tone on the second play of the game. He tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage and was able to snag the errant ball for an interception inside at the RNE 11-yard line. From that point forward, those seven harassed and chased Cavaliers quarterback and NC State commitment [player_tooltip player_id='272698' first='Will' last='Wilson'] all over the field.   Crestwood ended up limiting RNE to 87 yards of total offense in the first half. They even scored a touchdown when the snap sailed over the punter's head and Akelle Crawford fell on the loose ball in the end zone.   While the defense was wreaking havoc, Martin and his offensive counterparts were clicking after fumbling on their first offensive play.   Martin opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Moody. He followed that with a 56-yard yard catch and run by [player_tooltip player_id='1012863' first='Jeremie' last='Richardson']. He then scored on runs of nine and six yards before the defensive score. [player_tooltip player_id='997149' first='Azarian' last='Yates'] added a 13-yard TD.   Martin basically capped his night with a 1-yard TD with six seconds remaining in the half to give the Knights a 49-7 at the break. There was a running clock in the second half.   The 6-foot-2, 185-pound signal caller ended his night 11-of-21 for 184 yards and two scores to go along with his 33 yards rushing and three touchdowns. In the decisive first half, Martin was 10-of-16 for 172 yards.   “Martin is another coach on the field. He's a four-year starter. The game is slowing down for him. He's making the right decisions and taking care of the football,” Nelson said.   Moody did double duty at defensive back and basically shutdown half the field.   RNE NOTABLES   Wilson, the No. 3 player and No. 2 quarterback ranked in the 2025 Class, struggled under the huge pass rush. His receivers had trouble getting free and the defensive line made him tuck it and run several times. Wilson finished 6-of-18 for 147 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.   After a first half in which he finished 4-of-14 for just 44 yards, he was able to throw two long touchdown passes in the second half. The first was a 66-yarder to Blake Bettete and the second a 37-yard strike to Enosh Jean-Phillippe.

DAZELL | A lot of people across the state know about senior quarterback Javion Martin Javion Martin 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Crestwood | 2024 State SC and what he does for the Crestwood offense. What they may not know about is a defensive front seven that is as solid as you will find in Class 3A.