OLIVESBURG - There was never a question the Crestview Cougars would be the St. Paul Flyers stiffest Firelands Conference challenger entering the season.

There was also little doubt the Cougars would be eager to show a better performance than last season's 47-0 loss between two unbeaten teams when Crestview entered the game unscored upon through four games.

Crestview did just that - trailing St. Paul 10-7 and with possession of the ball deep in St. Paul territory late in the third quarter - however, the Flyers used a field goal and two touchdowns down the stretch to pull away for a 27-7 win.

"We knew they would give us all we could handle," St. Paul head coach John Livengood said. "They are a very good team that is well-coached from top to bottom - and I've said numerous times that last year's score was not indicative of how close the teams were."

It is the closest Firelands Conference game by margin of victory for St. Paul (4-0, 1-0) since its last trip to Crestview - a 21-6 win at Crestview in the 2007 season. It is also the 21st consecutive regular season victory for the Flyers, and the 16th consecutive FC win.

St. Paul wasted little time in taking the opening kickoff with Eric Schwieterman back under center, as a 69-yard drive was finished off by a 3-yard run by Brian Griffin, his 10th rushing touchdown of the season, to make it 7-0 after a Jim Roth PAT less than four minutes in.

Just moments later a three-and-out by Crestview forced a punt that Justin Wilde appeared to return 68 yards for a touchdown - but a holding penalty brought the play back. Still, St. Paul was driving at the Crestview 30 when they fumbled and the Cougars recovered and quickly got back in it as Mason Minnich ran 70 yards the very next play to tie the game at 7-7.

The game then bogged down for both teams, but a Roth 31-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the first half gave the Flyers the 10-7 lead. Not to be denied on the punt return, Wilde then intercepted a Matt Hall pass and returned it 71 yards to the Crestview 17-yard line.

Another holding penalty wiped out another touchdown run, but the very next play Griffin in a little trickery completed a halfback option pass to Jared Fries for a 20-yard touchdown and a 17-7 Flyer lead.

"They were playing very aggressive against the run in the secondary and we had some success on the option and threw the pass off of that," Livengood said.

Roth later added a 28-yard field goal to push the lead out to 20-7 - then Wilde intercepted another pass and the Flyers closed out the scoring with a 15-yard run from Griffin to make it 27-7.

Griffin finished with 85 yards on 21 attempts while Schwieterman and Dan Tracht combinted to go 7-of-16 passing with 94 yards. Schwieterman left the game in the second quarter after "tweaking" his surgically-repaired thumb.

"He should be fine," Livengood said. "It was just a week ago he got the pins out and there is some soreness there still."

St. Paul will be on the road for the fourth straight week when it travels to Mapleton (0-4, 0-1) Friday.