Michael Burich / The Morning Journal Crestview’s Mitch Auer chases Grandview Heights’ Eli Shapiro on Saturday in the Div. III state championship at Lower.com Field in Columbus.

COLUMBUS – Crestview’s boys soccer team was not supposed to be here.

The makeup of the squad did not have the traditional characteristics of what would constitute a threat to win a state championship.

“We only had four players who played club soccer,” junior Nick Novak said. “We did not have all of our starters come to practice all summer. Until the middle of the season we did not have a full practice with all of them there. A lot of them had not touched a ball in nine months when they started the season. To be able to make it here was unbelievable because a lot of these guys’ first priorities aren’t soccer and they came through for us.”

The Rebels ended the season with a 4-2 loss to Grandview Heights in the Div. III state final on Saturday at Lower.com Field. The non-traditional Rebels came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie it on two goals by Mitchell Auer but thanks to a hat trick from junior standout Danny Claypool the Bobcats won their first state title in school history.

When Novak, the Ohio leader in goals and assists this season, said his team was not built like others, it was not an overstatement.

“We have kids that work all of the time,” co-head coach Riley Mackall said. “There are hard-working human beings. They work 6 to 8 hours then come to soccer practice. We’ve got guys on work release. The Crane twins (Colt and Cutter) work on oil rigs on Saturdays and it’s just the most ridiculous stuff I’ve heard of. Then they come to soccer practice or a game on a Saturday.”

The Rebels end the best boys soccer season in Columbiana County history at 21-2.

It was a team built around eight seniors who logged a lot of minutes over their careers.

“What else can you do?” Mackall said. “They got here and faced a very good Grandview Heights team for the championship.”

Grandview Heights, a mere 3 miles from Lower.com Field, seemed ready from the outset. Claypool stunned the Rebels with a goal inside of the first three minutes on an assist from Gunnar Szynal. He had another one just outside of 10 minutes in off an assist from Keegan Kearney.

The Rebels had not faced a two-goal deficit in the tournament but were not as overmatched in the possession department as they were in the state semifinal against Toledo Ottawa Hills. Still, though, Bobcats outshot the Rebels 14-5 in the first half.

Novak created enough room to hook up with Auer on a goal with five seconds left in the first half to put some worry into the Bobcats (17-4-2).

“They play a different style than the top teams we come against during the season,” Heights coach James Gerdes said. “Those teams play more possession-based, slower build-up soccer. When we did our research on Crestview we discovered they played in a more direct counter-attacking way. That is not something we run into a whole lot. We do run into teams who play that way but nobody executes quite as well as they do. What struck us was that they proudly play that way and they are incredibly good on the counter attack. They are always dangerous. Even in their own third. You have to stay switched on or they will hurt you.”

Nearly 13 minutes into the second half, the Rebels blitzed at Grandview’s goal and Ryan Emch actually headed the ball off the crossbar but Auer was there to collect it and fire it in to tie it.

“I was glad Mitch was there to finish it,” Emch said. “We had that chance and it was almost a wasted opportunity. It gave us hope and momentum that we might be able to finish off the season.”

Less than two minutes later, Claypool ended the Rebel dream as he slotted home his third.

There was very little the Rebels could do from there as the Bobcats switched to a defensive strategy.

“As soon as they scored that goal they dropped everyone back,” Novak said. “It’s hard to create something when they drop 10 guys back. They really had a good game plan from the beginning. Every time I got the ball they triangled me in and knew where I was the entire game.”

The Rebel dreams of becoming the first public school from Northeast Ohio to win the Div. III state title were put to bed when Carter Blakeman was given a red card with five minutes left in the game. The unraveled Rebels immediately gave up a penalty kick for Grandview’s final goal.

“I think I deserved it,” Blakeman said about the red card. “But I think (the official) should have seen the other side of it where he ran me over. What I did was wrong at the end.”

In all Grandview Heights had 58 percent of the possession and 19 shots on goal with 10 on target.

Crestview managed eight shots on goal and five on target.

“We knew it was going to be a close game and it came down to minute details,” Mackall said. “The kids showed all of the heart and determination in the world though.”