CRESTLINE — It was senior night at Crestline’s Rocky Alt Field at Hutson Stadium, and it was Crestline’s three senior running backs who took control of the game.

Cian Glennon, Carter Giesige, and Quentin Kapp combined to rush for 256 yards and scored seven touchdowns as the Bulldogs battered Vienna Mathews, 55-12, Saturday night.

The win snapped a 14-game home losing streak. The last time the Bulldogs came away with a win at Hutson Stadium was Oct. 11, 2019, 51-20, over Hardin Northern.

The Bulldogs improved to 3-2 overall this season and are ninth in Division VII, Region 25. Crestline is in the thick of the playoff picture, but Bulldogs’ coach Hastings Robinette said that talking playoffs is way too premature.

“Right now, we’re trying to stay focused on one game at a time and we’ll let the rest take care of itself,” Robinette said.

But the success this team has achieved has meant the most to Giesige, who was a starter as a freshman, despite his 5-foot-2 stature at the time. He has been part of losing that has been unparalleled in recent seasons.

“I’ve been waiting for this, this is my senior year, and it’s just great to be with these guys,” Giesige said.

When asked what has been the difference in his personal improvement, Giesige felt that there were several different things.

“I hit the weight room; I got stronger and a little bit taller,” Giesige said. “I also got a little more athletic.”

Robinette said that this success has meant a great deal for his team.

“For them, it’s one of those things, it’s a long time coming,” Robinette said. “This is the first running clock they’ve seen, not against them, so for those guys it’s just huge. I talked to a couple of seniors after the game and they thought so, too.”

The Bulldogs controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football, which allowed the Bulldogs backs to run loose most of the night. Glennon rushed for 145 yards in 16 carries and scored three touchdowns, while Giesige added 100 more in 11 totes, scoring three times as well. Kapp, who like Giesige, was stellar on defense, carried the ball four times for 14 yards and a score.

Giesige set the tone on the game’s first play, bursting off-tackle, and racing 54 yards for the game’s first score and a 7-0 lead.

Glennon scored on a 15-yard run moments later and pushing Crestline’s advantage to 14-0.

After the Mustangs cut into the lead on a seven-yard run late in the first period, Giesige scored on a one-yard run and Derek McCunn grabbed a 13-yard scoring pass from sophomore quarterback Kody Lawhorn, giving the Bulldogs a 28-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

Cody Kuhn got on the board for the Mustangs with just 1:18 left in the quarter on a three-yard run cutting the lead to 28-12.

But on the final play of the second period, Glennon burst through left tackle for a six-yard touchdown.

At the half, Crestline held a 35-12 lead.

The game moved into a running clock situation early in the third quarter when Giesige scored on a two-yard run to make it 42-12.

Because of the fast clock, Crestline ran just nine more plays the rest of the way.

Still, the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in those plays. Glennon went in on a four-yard run with 8:54 left in the game to increase the lead to 48-12, before Kapp finished the scoring with a two-yard run.

Robinette said that the reason that his team has continued to make improvement over the course of the season is that the players began to believe before the season began.

“Us getting on a personal level with those kids before the season began off the football field,” Robinette said. “They bought into us. We started in February in the weight room, working out with them. We developed a relationship with those guys before we even got to the football field. And they bought into that.”

Crestline begins its state of Ohio travel tour next Saturday, when they go 3 1/2 hours to Adams County on the Ohio River to face Manchester.

The Greyhounds are 2-3 on the season, having beaten Pendleton County (Ky.), 38-15 and Franklin Furnace Green (1-4), 28-21. Their losses have come to 4-1 New Miami, 40-20, 1-4 Sciotoville East, 40-28, and 2-3 Miami Valley Christian Academy, 45-20.

Score by quarters

Vienna Mathews        6           6          0         0   — 12

Crestline                    14         21           7       13   — 55

Scoring summary

First quarter

C — Carter Giesige 54 run (Colton Keller kick), 11:34.

C — Cian Glennon 15 run (Keller kick), 4:15.

M — Drew Spagnoietta 7 run (run failed), :43.

Second quarter

C — Giesige 15 run (Keller kick), 8:00.

C — Derek McCunn 13 pass from Kody Lawhorn (Keller kick), 4:46.

M — Cody Kuhn 3 run (run failed), 1:18.

C — Glennon 6 run (Keller kick), 7:53.

Third quarter

C — Giesige 4 run  (Keller kick), 7:53.

Fourth quarter

C — Glennon 4 run (kick failed), 8:54.

C — Quentin Kapp 2 run (Keller kick), 2:30.

Individual statistics

Passing

Vienna Mathews: Caden Brubaker 5-10-0 66; Crestline: Kody Lawhorn 4-13-0 90.

Rushing

Vienna Mathews: Drew Spagnoietta 8-45, Cody Kuhn 9-37, Caden Brubaker 6-25, Connor Thompson 7-(-5). Crestline: Cian Glennon 16-142, Carter Giesige 11-100, Kody Lawhorn 7-23, Quentin Kapp 4-14.

Receiving

Vienna Mathews: Dane Brubaker 4-64, Seth Wyatt 1-2; Crestline: Parker Bowman 1-50, Derek McCunn 1-13, Jayden Lozier 1-11, Carter Giesige 1-10.

Team statistics

VM              C

First downs                  7               16

Rushing                    30-102       40-288

Passes                      5-10-1        4-13-0

Yards passing             66              90

Total yards                 168            378

Punts                         2-27.5        1-43.0

Penalties                     5-55          9-110

Fumbles                       3-1             0-0