CRESTLINE — On a night where the two teams scored 96 points and gained 942 total yards, it was the Elgin defense that turned up the heat late in the game.

The Comets picked off five passes, including two in critical points in the game, and held off Crestline, 55-41, Friday night at Hutson Stadium.

With the win, the Comets improved to 4-2 and Crestline fell to 0-6.

Elgin’s powerful running game gained 406 yards and wore the Crestline defense down in the final two frames. It also thwarted the continued improvement of Crestline sophomore quarterback Trevor Shade, who completed 24 of 41 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Reed added 44 yards passing for a total of 420.

The Bulldogs, who dressed just 16 players, just couldn’t match the Comets defensively late in the game.

“It’s a tall ask to just keep trotting out there,” Crestline coach Jonny King said. “We’re asking a lot of these kids, and there’s no excuses, we just don’t have any other options. We’re rolling the same kids out there offensively, defensively. It’s really, really, difficult.

“I love the effort that they are giving,” King added. “They are working so hard. It’s just a matter of getting one or two of the other kids on the same page. We have a handful of kids that we know that we can count on to step up and make the plays, but we’re needing a couple more kids in those big moments to step up. We’re just one play away from getting that win.”

The Comets scored first on a 28-yard pass from quarterback Jordan McCormick to Kevin Kline, but the Bulldogs responded in the second quarter on a 44-yard pass from Reed to Austin Silverwood and a 67-yard strike from Shade to Reed to take a 14-7 lead.

Elgin got the lead back on a two-yard run from McCormick, but Crestline took a 22-15 lead into the half on a one-yard run from Reed.

Elgin’s Cy Starcher took the second-half kickoff for a score on a 66-yard run and a 23-22 Elgin lead, but the Bulldogs responded again when Shade hit Reed from six yards out and a 28-23 lead.

The Comets ended the third quarter on a 28-yard Kline run and a 31-28 lead.

Starcher went 93 yards early in the fourth period and a 39-28 lead. Silverwood caught a 49-yard strike from Shade, cutting the lead to 39-34.

Kline caught a 43-yard pass from McCormick, but Crestline responded again when Brock Noblit grabbed a 16-yard pass from Shade, once again cutting the lead to 49-41 with 5:55 left in the game.

McCormick scored on a 14-yard run, sealing the win.

McCormick ended with 189 yards rushing in 14 tries and Kline finished with 108 on 10 carries to lead Elgin.

Reed grabbed six passes for 150 yards and Silverwood caught five for 110. Lusk added four grabs for 40 yards for Crestline.

“We’re finding some matchups that we like, and our kids are making plays,” King said. “That’s what it comes down to. The offensive lineman in me is frustrated, I want to run the ball and that’s something we’re certainly not satisfied with. It’s not for lack of effort, we have to get better at execution.”

When the playoffs start next week, the Bulldogs will not be there. The travel to Bucyrus to face the 0-6 Redmen.

The Redmen have struggled with a young team, falling to Wynford, 54-6, Seneca East, 42-0, Carey, 69-0, Buckeye Central, 54-10, Mohawk, 64-7, and Col. Crawford, 70-0.

King said his team, which has scored 89 points in the last three weeks, is getting better.

“I tell the kids every time we take the field, we’re taking steps forward and getting closer,” King said.  “That’s a good Elgin team. They put 68 up on Upper Scioto Valley the other week. They’re a good team and, to play them that competitively, and to put ourselves in a position to win the game. But our kids are never going to be satisfied with almosts and coulda-shoulda, I’m never going to be satisfied. We got to figure out how to close these games out.”

Box score

Score by quarters

Elgin             7           8          16       24   — 55

Crestline      0         22           6        13   — 41

Scoring summary

First quarter

E — Kevin Kline 11 pass from Jordan McCormick (kick good), 4:47.

Second quarter

C — Austin Silverwood 44 pass from Calvin Reed (Brock Noblit kick), 11:24.

C — Reed 67 pass from Trevor Shade (Reed run), 5:37.

E — McCormick 6 run (McCormick run), 3:11.

C — Reed 1 run (Silverwood pass from Reed), 1:36.

Third quarter

E — Cy Starcher 66 kickoff return (Kline run), 11:46.

C — Reed 6 pass from Shade (pass failed), 9:14.

E — Kline 28 run (McCormick run), 7:12.

Fourth quarter

C — Starcher 93 run (McCormick run), 11:13.

C — Reed 49 pass from Shade (pass failed), 10:45.

E — Kline 43 pass from McCormick (Kline run), 9:11.

C — Noblit 16 pass from Shade (Noblit kick), 5:55.

E — McCormick 14 run (Canyon Dickason run), 4:33.

Individual statistics

Passing

Elgin: Jordan McCormick 5-12-1 81. Crestline: Trevor Shade 23-41-5 372; Calvin Reed 1-1-0 44; Noblit 0-1-0 0.

Rushing

Elgin: McCormick 14-189, Kevin Kline 10-108, Cy Starcher 9-98, Canyon Dickason 2-2. Crestline: Reed 11-30, Brock Noblit 6-16, Shade 3-(-11).

Receiving

Elgin: Kline 4-78, Starcher 1-3. Crestline: Reed 6-150, Austin Silverwood 5-110, Connor Lusk 4-41, Noblit 2-43.

Team statistics

E              C

First downs                    9              12

Rushing                      35-406        20-35

Passes                         5-12-1       24-43-5

Yards passing               81              420

Total yards                   487            455