OLIVESBURG — After three years away, the Crestview Cougars are back on the mountain top.
With an 11-1 win over New London on Friday night, the Cougars clinched at least a share of the Firelands Conference championship for the first time since the 2021 season, which was the final year of four straight league championships. They took their rightful place at the top of the league standings owning a two-game lead with two to play.
“It means everything to us,” Crestview senior PJ Endicott said. “I am a four-year starter on varsity, and it’s my first one. I realize just how much we grinded for it every year and didn’t get it, it means the world to win it this year.”
The Cougars got ahead early with a 2-run home run by senior Chesnie Patton in the bottom of the first inning before they took advantage of New London errors in the third to plate three more runs, highlighted by a Mallory Ringler RBI double. Endicott, Kalee Hamman and Allison Volz added RBI hits in the fourth to make it 8-0 and Carlee Crider added an RBI single in the fifth to make it 9-0. The Cougars closed it out in the sixth with Hamman adding another RBI single before Maddie Grant’s fielder’s choice plated the run-rule score.
“It means a lot to me to win it, but it means more to win this for our coach and our coaching staff,” Patton said. “They wanted it really bad for us. Couldn’t speak more highly of our coaches. Out of every team I have ever played for, this has been one of the best coaching staffs, by far. They wanted this for us, which made me want it more.”
The Cougars entered the season not really understanding just how difficult it was to win a league championship having never done it. Now, they know.
“I think they do,” Durbin said. “Last year, we had two heartbreakers and ended up out of the picture. We lose to Mapleton by a run in extra innings and had a lead in the seventh against Monroeville before they walked it off against us. So, they understand just how difficult it is to win this thing. We all know how tough it is.”
The difference from the past three years to this year? It helps to have five seniors who have played a lot of softball.
“Every single girl has each one of her teammates’ best interests,” Endicott said. “No matter what happens, someone is there to pick you up. You get pinch hit for, you are cheering for your replacement to have success. I have never been on a team that has ever been so well blended and meshed together. Everyone supports everyone.”
The Cougars (18-2, 12-0) can close out an outright title next week with a two-game series against St. Paul, but they took Friday night to celebrate the accomplishment of guaranteeing a league title is coming home.
“It is huge to win it and get the job done,” Durbin said. “When I got this job, the thing you understood was that Crestview has a strong softball tradition. We were fresh off four straight league championships, so to get back to the top is big for us. It was goal No. 1.”
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: ‘It was goal No. 1’: Crestview claims 2025 Firelands Conference softball championship
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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