Ashland county residents have a number of options to pick from when it comes to sports as both ends of King Road and Route 96, all have action packed sports seasons in full swing. Ashland University, Ashland High School and Crestview High School are in the prime of their fall sports.

While the Eagles football team is still clutching their No.1 spot in the GLIAC and moving toward a potential spot in the playoffs, the Arrows move to the regional semifinals to face Massilon Washington on Nov. 10.

The Arrows’ 8-2 overall record so far this season has already beat the 2016 season’s record of 7-4. Last year’s starting quarterback and current Eagle football player, Grant Denbow, lead the team until he sustained an injury. Denbow was then replaced with current senior quarterback, Keagan Armitage. Armitage has lead the Arrows to a 5-1 Ohio Cardinal Conference (OCC) record.

The start of the Arrows’ season began with a non-conference game against the Green Bulldogs. The Arrows defeated the Bulldogs in a close 31-28 game and moved on to the first away game against the Clyde High School Fliers. After a scoreless first quarter, the Fliers got on the board first and continued their momentum to win the game 22-19 and gave Ashland their first loss of the season.

Despite the loss, the Arrows bounced back and went on to win six straight games in a row. The first was a 21-7 win against the Lake Blue Streaks. The Arrows then faced their first away conference game of the season against Mount Vernon and won 35-21.
The Arrows then went on to have the biggest win of the season beating Madison Comprehensive by 43 points for their Homecoming game. The Arrows then scored on eight straight possessions ending the game 56-13.

Upnext on the schedule was Mansfield Senior and Lexington. The Mansfield Senior Tygers kept close to the Arrows before they took off claiming yet another OCC victory with a score of 46-20. That momentum carried into the season’s first blowout game against the Lexington Minutemen where the Arrows won 40-0.

Following the blowout, the Arrows went on to have three straight games where the ending score was within three points of the other team. The first was a 49-48 close win against the West Holmes Knights. The next was 34-31 loss against the Wooster High School Generals and was marked as the Arrows’ second loss of the year and ended the regular season. This loss came with a stinging pain to Ashland after the Arrows beat the Generals 46-29 in triple overtime during the 2016 season.

Despite the loss, the Arrows’ still managed to clench a three-way tie for the OCC title win and were able to continue their season into the playoffs. The first playoff game was against the Columbus Mifflin Punchers. Going into the fourth quarter, the Punchers were up by 20 points leaving the Arrows minimal time to respond. However, after a missed field goal by Mifflin, Armitage found senior wide receiver Kamrin Knowlton Gains with 2:52 left on the clock for a two-point conversion to tie the game at 41. With the game going into overtime, the Punchers got on the board first but missed their chance at the extra point but lead 47-41. Armitage and the rest of the team responded with a 1 yard rushing touchdown to even the game back up again. It was then down to sophomore Ethan Deere to send the Arrows into another postseason game. With the field goal good, the Arrows defeated Mifflin 48-47 and grounded a regional semifinal game.

The Arrows will take on the Washington Tigers on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 P.M.

About 20 minutes down Route 96, the Crestview Cougars have just ended their season with an overall record of 7-3 and a 6-1 record in the Firelands Conference. The team is led by senior quarterback Jay Oswalt.

The Cougars got a rocky start to the season after recording back-to-back losses.The first game was against the Northmor Golden Knights. The Cougars lost in a 21-14 battle and moved on to their first home game of the season against the Hillsdale Falcons. This game ended up almost identical to the first game they played and the Cougars fell 22-14.

After two tough losses, the Cougars ignited their flame and went on to win three straight games. The first against the Sandusky Central Catholic Panthers with a winning blowout score of 42-0. The next game was the team’s first conference game against Western Reserve which ended in a 41-3 victory. The Mapleton Mounties were the next conference rivals the Cougars face and defeated 41-16.

The Cougars’ winning streak was snapped after the team faced St. Paul on their home field and were crushed in a 38-7 game. The next four games on the schedule were conference games that brought the Cougars to yet another win streak.

All four games ended in a victory for Crestview and they extended their conference record to 6-1. When the Cougars faced the Monroeville Eagles, the red and black carried their 26-6 lead all the way home. Next up was the New London Wildcats and as both teams attacked each other, it was the Cougars that came up victorious 54-0. Up next, the Cougars faced South Central and won 49-14 and moved on to the last game of the regular season.

The Cougars suited up in the red and black for the last time against the Plymouth Big Red for the biggest rivalry game of the year. Crestview had the upset in the 2016 season winning 31-0. That momentum carried over into the 2017 season as both teams played until the clock expired and the Cougars were up 28-14.

That game ended the Cougars regular season and marked the best conference record the team has had in over three years. The team ended their season 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the conference.