CRESTLINE — It has been 12 years since a Crestline high school football team took the field on the south side of town at the old Hutson Stadium. The Bulldogs called “The Junkyard” home for eight decades before moving into the new school on the north side of town.
It’s where they went 8-0 in 1939 — known as the Onondagas back then — en route to being deemed the Class B state champions by The Associated Press.
It’s where they won five-straight League of Six Nations championships from 1936-1940, three Mohican League titles, three Johnny Appleseed Conference titles, five Mid-Ohio Conference championships and three North Central Conference titles — the most recent coming in 2000.
It’s where they qualified for the playoffs in 1993, beating Sandusky St. Marys 15-14, which is still the program’s only postseason win, along with 1996, 2000, and 2005.
And on Friday night, it’s where one last bit of history will be made as the Bulldogs host South Central on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in a scrimmage that will ultimately be the final time a Crestline high school football team plays at the old Hutson Stadium.
“We heard the stadium was going up for sale and I don’t know where it goes from there,” coach Hastings Robinette said. “But we saw the opportunity to be able to play there one more time. There has probably been a 10 to 12 year gap since the last time a Crestline high school team played on it until now. I’m happy for these guys and excited for them.
“There’s nothing like the Junkyard.”
It’s not often you see a scrimmage get this sort of attention and Robinette wants to make the most out of the opportunity.
“We’re doing cheer alumni and band alumni to get everybody that’s gone through there over the years all the way back to the ’30s to be able to come back and experience that one last time,” he said. “It means a lot for everybody.”
Senior tight end Kieran Barnett is looking to soak the experience in, but also use it as a primer for the regular season opener against Buckeye Central. Playing in front of a big crowd before the season begins is a major advantage for the new faces and returners.
“For my senior class to be able to play there is kind of an honor,” Barnett said. “That’ll definitely help us build up some confidence rolling into Week 1. There’s a couple guys out here who have played there before and they’re all talking about it, we’re all just really excited to get out there and play.
“The whole town’s really excited for it and you can tell.”
Robinette, coming off Coach of the Year honors in the Northwest District after leading Crestline to the postseason for the first time in 19 years, has already started to turn the tide at a program that was previously on a 29-game losing streak.
“Numbers are up, we’re right around 35,” he said. “We’re replacing seven starters from last year so that’ll take time to blend it, but we have some speed going into the year. It’s all a work in progress with replacing seven seniors and getting those new guys in — most of them have been in the system for a year — and we had a few upperclassmen join this year that’ll chip in and help out.”
And the one of the biggest things this season?
“We’re able to run a JV team,” Robinette said. “We have three games this year and I don’t remember the last time that happened. Getting those younger guys experience without having to put them on a varsity field is huge, the maturity from a 15 year old to an 18 year old is huge. Rather than getting those guys beat up and scared off, they have their own games they can play.
“We actually have 11 guys to go up against in practice … we were at 24 or 25 last year and to jump to 35 this year is huge for us in practice and in games.”
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: ‘There’s nothing like the Junkyard:’ Crestline to play at old Hutson Stadium one last time
Reporting by Zachary Holden, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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