Correspondent photo / Lowell Spencer Crestview’s Mikey Proctor watches on at a passing camp over the summer.

EAST FAIRFIELD — The Crestview Rebels football team has some unfinished business to take care of in 2025.

Following a season-opening loss, the Rebels steamrolled through the competition until they dropped a heartbreaking 23-22 loss to eventual Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference champion Garfield last year. After a solid win to close the regular season, the Rebels dropped another heartbreaker, a 48-41 decision to Martins Ferry in the first round of the OHSAA playoffs.

That playoff loss was a crushing blow for a team that seemed to be on a roll and enjoying a higher-seeded home game. Although the Rebels enjoyed a productive night offensively, they were disappointed with their defensive effort, leaving them motivated to rebound this year.

“We made a lot of improvements last year,” Rebels head coach Dom Perry said. “We improved on our record, but our number one goal is to win our league, and we didn’t win that, and our playoff game. So, we have talked about that this offseason quite a bit. We got better, but it is still not where we want to be.”

“It was just disbelief,” senior running back Mikey Proctor said of the losses. “We made too many mistakes in those games. It definitely frustrated us, but we are ready to use that as motivation to get back and make a run this year.”

Both Perry and Proctor, along with the entire Rebels team, know that they have to pick it up another notch if they want to be league champions and make a long playoff run.

“We have to be consistent and play disciplined football. (Garfield is) a team that you’d better be disciplined when you play them. But we have to take it week by week. We don’t play Garfield until Week 9, and a lot can change by that time,” Perry said.

But perhaps the biggest key to the Rebels’ season will be in the trenches. They return a lot of experience with their skill position players, but they will need to develop their offensive line if they hope to reach all of their goals.

“We are going to have to jell up front,” Perry said. “We are hoping that our defense can get us through our first three or four games while we start to jell up front. But we have quite a bit of skill (players) coming back and only a couple of starters back on the offensive line.”

“We take a lot of pride in what we do. Our skill players are phenomenal, and we have experience,” Proctor said. “Obviously, I give props to the linemen, too. They don’t get as much credit as we do, but I credit everything to them. They help us get it done.”

The strength of this Rebels team might be strong senior leaders. Many of their senior players have had two years of starting experience, which should prove invaluable on Friday nights.

“These guys get along well with each other. They hold each other accountable, and that is what we ask of them,” Perry said.

And that group has learned to lead by example.

“When we were those underclassmen, it was harder for us, but we paid attention, and now we just pass it on,” Proctor said.

OFFENSE

Offensively, the Rebels will continue to run the spread. Their goal is to spread the ball around and make their opponents defend from sideline to sideline.

Joining the senior quarterback, Jake Noling, in the backfield will be Proctor and fellow senior Wyatt Hart, along with sophomore Trevor McElhaney. Noling has a stable of senior receivers to throw to in Kyle Booth, Ethan Kane, Colton Webber and Caidyn McElhaney. Sophomore Brady Barnhart is also pushing for playing time.

“Jake (Noling) will be our guy at quarterback; it’s going to start with him. But we have a plethora of running backs and receivers that we are confident in, so we can spread the ball around,” Perry said.

Three-year starter at center is senior Brody Hoon, who will be the anchor of the offensive line. Juniors Shane Bacon at tackle, Brian Hall at guard, Dylan Stoffer at guard and Tanner Guy at tackle have all had some experience. Sophomore tackle Parker Biddle will also look to get some playing time up front.

DEFENSE

The Rebels’ defense will rely on good team speed. Their defense will need to be aggressive and make plays. Perry points out that their defense must create turnovers and provide them with good field position.

Bacon at defensive end and Hart at tackle will be the leaders on the defensive line. Juniors Tanner Guy and AJ McEwen will also play at end, while junior Ian Mascher will be at tackle on the defensive line.

The linebacking corps will feature Proctor and sophomore Bo Julian at the inside spot and senior Ashton Dattilio, along with junior Josh Smith, on the outside. In addition, Booth, Kane and Caidyn McElhaney all return to the Rebels’ secondary to provide them with a lot of confidence on the defensive side of the ball.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Rebels will count on freshman Danny Novak to take over the kicking and punting duties. He comes in as a dual sport athlete, as he plays soccer for the Rebels, too.

Sophomore Hayden Davis and Kane look to be the Rebels’ top return specialists.