The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Crum leads Middie rally
QB brings Midview back from 14-0 deficit to win thriller
As a sophomore, Midview quarterback Dustin Crum had a last minute-drive to defeat Lorain. As a senior, he duplicated the feat.
Crum put the host Middies on his back and led them on a 73yard drive that was capped by Connor Wolfe’s two-yard run with 1:05 left and gave Midview a thrilling 29-26 nonconference win Aug. 26.
“First of all, he (Crum) is a winner,” Midview Coach D.J. Shaw said. “The kid just wins and he will do anything to win. Secondly, he’s not your average, run-of-the mill pretty-boy quarterback. He’s a tough kid.
“He showed that … he put his head down and went through some pretty big strong dudes. He’s not just a quarterback. He’s a football player … he just wins games.”
Midview (1-0) battled back from 14-0 and took a 21-20 lead after Crum ran in from three yards out with 6:57 left in regulation. But on the ensuing kickoff, Lorain’s Daesean Brooks ran the kickoff back 92 yards for the goahead touchdown. The two-point
conversion failed, but Lorain held a 26-21 lead.
Though Crum didn’t have big numbers passing (6-19, 76 yards), he used his legs quite well. Going for 115 yards on 17 carries, Crum got great blocking from his line and ripped off chunks of yardage.
Crum wasn’t the only benefactor as Midview made its way down the field. Wolfe (9-62) and Alec Forrer (11-47) each had significant gains. But it was on Crum who had back-toback runs to put the Middies on Lorain’s two-yard line.
Wolfe ran in his second touchdown of the game to give Mdiview the lead.
“It was different (than sophomore year),” Crum said.
“As a senior, you obviously have to try to step up and make more plays … and help the team as much as possible.
“We made some plays … but there is a lot of things we need to clean up if we want to reach our goals.”
Lorain still had a chance and after a personal foul penalty, the Titans were stopped short on fourthand-two from their own 42 when Chavis (19-170) was hit behind the line. Battling cramps for most of the game, Chavis was unable to avoid the Middies defenders as he tried to break to the outside.
“I love the kid (Chavis),” Lorain Coach Dave McFarland said.
“He played well and set the tone. He had a (heck) of a football game.”
Dower, who was 6 for 7 for 72 yards in the first half, hit Daesean Brooks for a 12-yard touchdown and fourth-and-eight to give Lorain a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Chavis scored from three yards out, while Dower hit Brooks for the two-point conversion and gave the Titans a 14-0 lead at the half. Shaw thought the score could have been worse but praised his defense for keeping the game close and allowing the offense to get on track.
After being held scoreless in the first half for the first time in what seems forever, Midview got things going in the second half.
Crum hit Keith Johnson from 21 yards out to slice Lorain’s lead in half. After a botched punt deep in Lorain territory, MIdview took over and tied the game at 14 on Wolfe’s 11-yard run early in the fourth quarter, which led to Crum’s heroics.
Midview travels to North Olmsted next Friday, while Lorain travels to Elyria.