Noah Schultz ran for five first-half touchdowns while reaching a season milestone and leading Crestwood to a 56-14 pounding of visiting Berwick in Saturday afternoon’s District 2 Class 3A football semifinal.
The Comets locked up a home-field spot in the district final, which they learned later at night would be against Valley View, the team they beat, 20-7, on Opening Night. Crestwood (10-1) will host Valley View (9-2) Friday night at 7.
Schultz helped Crestwood open a 21-0 lead in the first 7:37 by running for two touchdowns. He ran for three more scores in the second quarter while the Comets built the lead to 49-7 at halftime.
Along the way, Schultz turned just 13 carries into 271 yards, allowing him to surpass the 2,000-yard mark for the season.
Schultz has 2,111 yards and 33 touchdowns on 191 carries. He has run for 100 or more yards 8 times and 200 or more 4 times, including 3 of the last 4 games.
Crestwood rushed for 414 yards on 37 carries.
Jaden Shedlock’s 49-yard touchdown opened the scoring.
Schultz added touchdowns of 6 and 60 yards 1:13 apart for the 21-0 lead.
Berwick moved within 21-7 on a 12-yard, Matt Lonczynski-to-Drey Wilk touchdown pass with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
Crestwood, however, broke away with two quick touchdowns early in the second quarter and two more just before halftime.
Schultz scored on a 53-yard run in the first minute of the second quarter, an 8-yarder less than two minutes later and a 16-yarder with 59 seconds left in the half.
Crestwood outgained Berwick by more than 250 yards in the first half and added a defensive score 8 seconds before halftime when Nick Miscavage returned an interception 80 yards.
Miscavage also intercepted a pass in the end zone and blocked a punt.
Cole Kakalecik, who had a team high six tackles and an assist, and Logan Rolles, who had another tackle for a loss, accounted for two of the team’s four sacks. Brothers Lincoln and Magnus Bibla had the others.
Rolles also went 8-for-8 kicking extra points.
The entire second half was played under the Mercy Rule.
Lonczynski threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Spencer Kishbaugh for a third-quarter Berwick touchdown.
Allen Angon ran 2 yards for the last Crestwood touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
