UPCOMING: Thunderbirds take flight in first win

The Crestview Thunderbirds landed in the winner’s nest for the first time Saturday night.

Crestview’s adult football team earned the first win in franchise history with a 27-24 victory against the South Alabama Seminoles in a Premier Football League contest at Davidson Middle School.

Mario Holley’s punt return for a touchdown with about four minutes remaining made the difference in a back-and-forth contest that featured six lead changes.

Crestview improved to 1-4 in its inaugural season. The Thunderbirds have put up 53 points in their last two games after scoring just three points in their first three games combined.

South Alabama fell to 0-5.

Holley started the game-winning punt return at midfield. He headed to the right side, outran most of the Seminole defense and just made it into the end zone as a South Alabama tackler tried to bring him down.

A long Holley punt return in the second quarter set up a touchdown that gave the Thunderbirds the first lead of their existence. Holley’s return of about 75 yards put Crestview in business at the South Alabama 15 in the last minute of the second quarter. A few moments later, BB Johnson caught a pass from Brody Johnson in the right side of the end zone to give the Thunderbirds a 14-8 halftime lead.

Crestview threatened to go ahead by two scores early in the second half, driving deep into South Alabama territory. Instead, a personal foul penalty assessed when a Crestview fan ran to the sideline to verbally abuse an official, coupled with a snap that got away on a punt attempt, set up a Seminoles touchdown and two-point conversion that put South Alabama ahead 16-14.

The teams traded scores on their next two possessions, setting up Holley’s dramatic game-winning TD.

An interception near the goal line on a last-second heave preserved the Crestview victory.

Read the full story in the July 22 edition of the Crestview News Bulletin