CRESTLINE — A young Crestline team is going through growing pains. The Bulldogs got another lesson Friday night.

After battling Upper Scioto Valley through a scoreless first half, Crestline saw the Rams get a pair of scores in the third quarter and the visitors held off the Bulldogs, 21-13, in Crestline’s home opener.

With the win, USV improved to 2-2 on the season. Crestline fell to 0-4, but coach Jonny King said that his team is still making strides.

“I’m proud of the guys,” King said. “We’re making that progression that we’re working on all the time, taking steps forward. If you’re standing still, you’re getting worse. We can’t accept that.

“I feel like every week, the effort has been better, the physicality has been better, and, in a game like this, where it literally comes down to one or two plays makes a difference in the ball game, we can’t afford to give up a play and make a mental mistake,” he added. “Myself and my coaching staff are included.”

The Rams finally broke the scoreless tie late in the third period when tailback Jackson Rohrs dashed 17 yards for the score.

The Bulldogs got even moments later when senior wideout Calvin Reed got behind the defense and grabbed a 46-yard scoring pass from sophomore quarterback Trevor Shade. Brock Noblit’s PAT evened the score at 7-7.

Upper Scioto Valley got the lead back with 13 seconds left in the period when Tristan Fisher got loose for a 29-yard scoring pass from Kadyn Hurley.

When Reed scored again early in the fourth period, this time from six yards out, King decided to for two and the lead. But the pass for two was knocked down and the Rams led, 14-13.

Rohrs scored late in the game from three yards out to set the final score.

The Bulldogs, who gained 250 yards on the night, moved into opponent’s territory late in the game, but a pass interception ended the contest.

“We have some work to do just cleaning some things up, because it’s such a razor-thin margin, to have little mistakes that cost you big,” King said.

Reed led the Bulldogs with 59 yards rushing on 11 carries and grabbed five passes for 85 yards. Shade, in just his second career start, hit 10 of 14 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown.

King had high praise for his young quarterback.

“Trevor is a kid who hasn’t played a lot of football and he needs reps,” King said. “You throw a young kid out there into a tough spot and he’s doing everything we asked him to do.”

Crestline moved the football better in the second half.

“We found some things that worked and that’s what we try to do as a staff,” King said. “We can’t out-think ourselves and we have to find things that are working and hit those things.”

Rohrs led the Rams with 152 yards on 21 carries and added three catches for 28 more yards. Still, King was happy with his defensive effort.

“Our defense has come a long way,” King said. “I’m proud again that we have guys that were injured this week and we have guys who had to stand up and did a good job for us.

“It comes down to we don’t cover the tight end on one busted play and it’s as simple as that.”