Crawford County Football Power Poll: Galion on top in preseason rankings
Football season is just a day away!
With that marks the return of the weekly Power Poll where we'll check in on each team after each week and see how they fared.
Let's kick things off with the preseason edition, which takes a combination of last year's record and what a team has in store this season.
1. Galion
2022 Record: 6-5, lost 40-9 to Bellevue in first round of playoffs
The Tigers return a TON of talent on both sides of the ball. This is a very special senior class coming through Galion and they have sky high expectations. Braxton Prosser returns under center as one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in the area and he'll have a slew of targets to choose from, along with All-Ohioan Gabe Ivy in the backfield. Defense is where the Tigers can really shine with several of the top tacklers back and a line that will cause problems for anyone. Plus, they have one of the best punters in the state of Ohio in Landon Campbell back.
The Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference is always brutal to get through. The likes of Clear Fork, Ontario, Shelby and Highland will be tough opponents, plus Pleasant, River Valley and Harding are impossible to overlook. This is a Galion team that feels it can compete with anyone, anywhere, and the goal by Week 10 is to be crowned MOAC champs.
Galion opens Week 1 on the road to Crawford County foe Wynford on Thursday night. The two haven't played each other since 2012, the last time they were together in a league.
2. Colonel Crawford
2022 Record: 10-3, lost 14-7 (OT) to Columbus Grove in regional semifinal
The Eagles matched their best season in program history last fall making a run to the regional semifinal before falling in overtime to Columbus Grove. Along the way they got some revenge on Carey in the playoffs beating the Blue Devils 21-14 to snap their 26-game win streak.
Colonel Crawford returns a mix of starters and role players who will be expected to step up immediately. Dynamic athlete Trevor Vogt is slotting in under center and will be difficult for opposing teams to defend since he'll be able to hurt them with his arm and legs. This is typically a run-first offense and the Eagles are always great at that, so expect the hard-nosed, ground-and-pound football style we've all come to know. The Northern 10 is more balanced this year with Carey, Upper Sandusky, Wynford and Seneca East bringing back a ton of players, the Eagles are hoping to fit into that mix and battle foe the N10 crown.
Colonel Crawford has a casual three-and-a-half hour jaunt to Hannibal, Ohio to play River Thursday night.
3. Wynford
2022 Record: 2-8
It was a season to forget at Wynford last fall, but sometimes those are the ones that lead to the most growth. It was the first year for coach Cyle Skidmore and, while there were bumps along the way, the Royals did improve as the season went on. And this is a team that very easily could've been 7-3 instead of 2-8 as five games were decided by one touchdown.
Ashton Warren is back under center with a mix of returners and newbies out wide. A great 1-2 punch behind him of Anthony Evans and Kaiden Blair should keep defenses on their toes, and All-Ohioan Kalen Skidmore will be a standout on both sides of the line. This is a program accustomed to greatness and after one down year, the Royals look primed to bounce back and compete for a league title again.
Wynford opens the season Thursday night at home hosting Galion.
T-4. Bucyrus
2022 Record: 2-8
Bucyrus started the season strong with a 48-20 win before dropping seven consecutive games, only one was by one score. Adjusting to a new head coach in Jon Butchko will be a challenge, but he knows what he's doing and will have plenty of weapons on both sides of the ball at his disposal.
Malachi Bayless returns as a four-year starter at quarterback and has some talented new faces to choose from in the offense, notably 6-foot-6 Trevor Kirgis who transferred over from Buckeye Central. The defense features a ton of athletes who will look to improve on last year's N10-worst 37.8 points per game allowed. A league title might be a bit out of reach for this team, but that doesn't mean they can't string together some quality results and maybe sneak into the postseason.
Bucyrus opens Friday night at Riverdale.
T-4. Buckeye Central
2022 Record: 3-7
After starting 3-0 the Bucks lost all seven of their games in the N10. But against teams of similar size in Division VII, Buckeye Central was 3-1. That's always going to be a struggle for the program, but it's not something they'll never use as an excuse for results.
Like three other county schools, the Bucks boast a returning quarterback in Derex Dean who enters his third year under center. Behind him will be the bruising Isaac Hiler (5-11, 218 pounds) and Dominic Dean (6-1, 181) and Derex will have a few options to choose from out wide. On the line the Bucks have plenty of size — 244, 275, 315, 300, 264 — plus some athleticism to go with it. As stated with Bucyrus, a league title is unlikely in New Washington, but this is a team you definitely can't overlook. And if they're able to sneak into the playoffs, the Bucks can make some noise.
Buckeye Central begins its season on the road Friday night at county rival Crestline.
6. Crestline
2022 Record: 0-10
The Bulldogs have lost 19 consecutive games and 26 of their last 27 dating back to 2020. And though Crestline lost just four players from last year's squad, the quarterback and fullback were two of them.
Coach Mike Winland will use a dual quarterback system this fall having moved Carter Geisege from wideout to QB and Buckeye Central transfer Caydin Jarvis seeing time as well. Lots of faces in new, key roles for Crestline could make for a season of growth. But there's a ton of athleticism on this team and the Bulldogs return most of their line which always gives you an early advantage over other teams.
Crestline kicks off the year home against Buckeye Central.
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford County Football Power Poll: Galion tops preseason rankings
