Special teams help Crossings Christian beat Crescent

Cole McMurphy came up with the big block, while Coleman Patterson had the big boot for Crossings Christian.

Crossings blocked two punts, and Patterson made his first field goal to lead the Knights to a 16-14 victory over Crescent on Friday at Knights Stadium.

The Knights made their records 5-1 overall and 4-0 in District A-3 in one of the top games in the metro area this week. Crescent fell to 3-3, 2-2 in district play.

“We felt we could have an advantage there,” Crossings coach Jonathan Keathly said of his special teams unit. “Our defense was good. Our special teams was the difference.”

Crossings went up 16-7 with 7:34 to go in the game. The Knights reached the end zone on a fourth-down play when Owen Crotts threw 20 yards to Mason Snyder.

The Tigers kept pace, driving 51 yards in seven plays. Hunter Bowers ran 7 yards for a touchdown to cut Crescent’s deficit to 16-14 as 5:06 remained on the clock.

Crescent had one more chance with the ball and reached midfield. The Tigers turned the ball over on downs as Bowers threw an incomplete pass.

“We hung on for dear life to get a great win,” Keathly said. “We made a lot of plays on defense. We put a lot of trust in those guys.”

Crossings struck first as McMurphy blocked a punt, then grabbed the ball and bolted 22 yards into the end zone. The Knights led 6-0 early in the first quarter.

Dominic Descher gave Crescent the lead 7-6 with 2:19 left in the first on a 3-yard scoring plunge. Crescent took advantage of a short field after pinning Crossings at its own 1-yard line. The Tigers drove 38 yards in seven plays for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Knights went back in front on Patterson’s 31-yard field goal at the 10:41 mark of the second quarter. Trent Miller set up the Crossings score by recovering a fumble at the Knights’ 34-yard line.

Ryan Brady blocked the other punt for Crossings Christian, giving the Knights the ball at the Crescent 18-yard line late in the third quarter.

Crescent rushed for 174 yards and outgained Crossings 235-194.