Football Preview | Lots to be excited about this season on the gridiron in Crawford County

The football season is finally here!

Let's take a look at all six Crawford County teams, what they have coming back, and what to expect from them this fall.

Buckeye Central

• Conference: Northern 10; Division VII, Region 25
• Coach: Jordan Phillips (first season, 0-0)
• Last Year: 3-7 (1-6)
• Base Offense/Defense: Spread; 3-4
• Notable Returners: Jack Phillips, Jr., QB/FS; Alec Phillips, Jr., WR/OLB; Matt Heefner, Sr., OT/DT; Corbin Bloomfield, Sr., WR/CB
• Breakout Candidates: Caydin Jarvis, Jr., RB/LB; Dylan Heydinger, So., C/DT; Hunter Caudill, Jr., WR/KR
• Coach's Comments: "We have a lot of athleticism at our skill positions, maybe the most since I’ve been here. We have guys who are threats for explosive plays when they get the ball in space … Our biggest weakness is a lack of experience. We are only returning a few starters, and even these players are inexperienced because of injury or a position change … I’m most excited about how comfortable our kids are within the defensive scheme. They are not asking a lot of questions or missing a lot of assignments, they know what they are expected to do and therefore can do it full speed. The things that we are tweaking in practice are not fundamentals, but upper level skills … We are trying to replace a player who made a significant amount of our tackles last year. Despite spending a lot of practice time on it, tackling will be an area that we have to pay close attention to."
• Notes: It's almost an entirely new look Bucks team with a new head coach, new face under center, and a lot of the scoring gone. But there's plenty of athleticism throughout the roster and the Phillips twins are dynamic enough, with the addition of state runner-up long jumper Corbin Bloomfield , to keep this offense moving. The first three games are crucial to playoff hopes, and even one win in a highly competitive N10 could be enough to secure a game in Week 11.

Bucyrus

• Conference: Northern 10; Division VI, Region 23
• Coach: Jon Butchko (second season, 0-10)
• Last Year: 0-10, 0-7
• Base Offense/Defense: Spread; 3-3 Stack
• Notable Returners: Dylan Coppler, Jr., QB/P; Hayden Butcher, So., TE/MLB; Hayden Ginn, So., OT/DE; Demaris Munn-Page, Jr., RB/OLB/KR; Jake Green, Sr., FB/ILB; Christian Neal, Jr., WR/FS
• Breakout Candidates: Ben Jones, Jr., ATH; Wyatt Makeever, Fr., OLB; Carson Witten, So., OT/DE
• Coach's Comments: "We return experience on the offensive line and in skill positions. Our defensive scheme also allows players to play out of position, and we have experience in the second and third levels of defense … Depth is a weakness, and we return zero pass attempts from last season. Younger players may be pressed to play every down … Our goal is to compete and improve each week, and build depth as the season progresses."
• Notes: It's going to be a tough season in Bucyrus with a lot of new faces in key places. Arguably the best skill player returning has moved to quarterback which, hopefully, turns out to be a good thing. Much like Buckeye Central above, nonleague games are key for this team to not only grow quickly before a brutal N10 schedule, but with winnable games in the first three weeks, that could make the regular season interesting with regards to trying to make the playoffs.

Colonel Crawford

• Conference: Northern 10; Division VI, Region 23
• Coach: Jake Bruner (third season, 20-5; 63-33 career)
• Last Year: 10-2, 5-1 (N10 runner-up, lost in regional quarterfinals to Ottawa Hills )
• Base Offense/Defense: Multiple; 4-2-5
• Notable Returners: Brady Hill, Sr., WR/SS; Lucas Foy, Sr., WR/CB; Kaden Bruner, Sr., TE/MLB; Payne Degray, Jr., TE/DE; Logan Goddard, Jr., CB; Connor McMichael, Jr., FB/OLB; Aden Spence, Sr., OL/DT; Brennen Reber, Sr., DT; Peyton Baker, Jr., QB/CB
• Breakout Candidates: Brayden Holt, Jr., QB/SS; Jack Agee, Sr., DE/ST; Nate McCartney, Jr., WR/ST; Tyler Lash, So., WR/ST; Joe Zizzo, Jr., K; Luke Christman, So., OL/DE; John Degray, So., WR/OLB; Roen Thew, So., ATH; Parker Weithman, So., WR/DB/KR
• Coach's Comments: "We have young, but talented, depth at the skilled positions. But we must mature quickly, and we need our depth to grow on the offensive line … We were very young at linebacker last year and played a lot of young linebackers. Now we are more experienced there, so hopefully it will pay off for us. We bring back all but one position on the defensive line as we played a lot of people on Friday night last year. We lose our two safeties in Ryan McMichael and Trevor Vogt who had been staples for us for several seasons. Luckily, Brady Hill has experience in the secondary at safety, along with younger players like Nate McCartney, Roen Thew, Brayden Holt, and John Degray continue to grow. Lucas Foy and Logan Goddard return at corner, Parker Weithman and Peyton Baker have some experience on Friday night … We want to continue to improve each week. With only eight seniors, we will be playing a lot of juniors, sophomores, and a few freshmen on Friday nights. We love our team, the work ethic, and the excitement, but we need to mature quickly."
• Notes: Colonel Crawford loses a few All-Ohioans, but returns the lone one in football this fall in Payne Degray. He will be a leader on the defense, along with some very experienced seniors and juniors. On offense, the Eagles should again be very difficult to slow in the ground game, but also have a bit more of an aerial attack with Baker (and potentially Holt) under center. Look for them to be the class of the county again, and make a run for the N10 crown along with a lengthy postseason run.

Crestline

• Conference: Independent; Division VII, Region 26
• Coach: Hastings Robinette (first season, 0-0)
• Last Year: 0-10
• Base Offense/Defense: Pistol; 4-3
• Notable Returners: Kody Lawhorn, So., QB/DB; Parker Bowman, Sr., WR/CB/P; Brett Cheney, Jr., OG/DT; Derek McCunn, Sr., WR/CB; Finn Belcik, Sr., C/DT; Karter Koge, Sr., OT/DE; Kenny Simpson, Sr., OT;/MLB; Gage Trent, Jr., OG/DE; Carter Giesige, Sr., FB/SS/KR; Colten Keller, So., WR/K/PR
• Breakout Candidates: Jayden Lozier, So., TE/DE; Braylon Hale, Jr., WR/FB/DE; Kieran Barnett, Jr., TE/FS; Adam Burton, Jr., CB
• Coach's Comments: "Offensively we have goof speed at our skill positions, and we have depth at wide receiver. Bowman and McCunn have been great leaders for the wideouts. We are big up front averaging around 255 pounds per lineman, and will be starting two juniors and three seniors. Most of these lineman have been starting since they were freshmen. Lawhorn takes over at QB without a ton of experience at the varsity level, but he's a quick learner and a sponge to the game … Defensively is much of the same, our front seven is a very talented, hungry group while our defensive backs have speed and awareness. Koge and Belcik will be the leaders of the front four, Giesige, Bowman and McCunn lead the secondary. We lack depth in the trenches, and we have big bodies playing both ways, so injury and fatigue are a major concern for us … We want to take this season one week at a time improving each week and competing at the highest level possible. Crestline was always known as a football town and the community took pride in that — we want to get back to our roots."
• Notes: Numbers have always been a struggle at Crestline over the last half-decade. But this fall Robinette has managed to get out 23-25 kids which is huge for this program. Depth is always a concern, but the Bulldogs always give 100% on the field. Playing an independent schedule should be beneficial, too, as it'll allow them to see new teams, new talent, and most importantly, have chances to win some games. Robinette knows it's a marathon, not a sprint, and I think he's the right guy to get Crestline back to what it used to be.

Galion

• Conference: Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference; Division IV, Region 14
• Coach: Matt Dick (ninth season, 45-40)
• Last Year: 8-4, 4-3 (lost in regional quarterfinals to West Holmes )
• Base Offense/Defense: Spread; Multiple
• Notable Returners: Braxton Prosser, Sr., QB; Allen Carver, Sr., WR/FS; Jacob Chambers, Jr., WR/S/KR; Sam Evans, Jr., WR/LB; Michael Drake, Sr., C/DT; Zach Sallee, Jr., OT/DE
• Breakout Candidates: Trevor Shifley, Jr., WR/LB; Cameron Kuehlman, Jr., OG/LB; Dominic Capretta, So., DE; Ayden Schmidt, Jr., WR/CB; Landyn Prosser, Jr., WR; Coen Adams, Jr., WR; Camden Kuelhman, Jr., RB/LB; Jacob Martin, Jr. DT; Kale Early, So., N; Sam Estep, Jr., OT/DE
• Coach's Comments: "We have lots of quick, skilled athletes that can be dangerous in space. Braxton Prosser has three years of experience at QB. Our weakness is replacing a lot of great offensive lineman and a great running back from last year … Defensively we have the ability to move around a lot and bring pressure from all over. Sam Evans, Zach Sallee, and Cameron Kuehlman should be all over the field wreaking havoc. The secondary has three returning starters anchored by leader and communicator Allen Carver … Every year it is about going 1-0 each week and maximizing our potential by giving relentless effort, and being ready for competitive excellence on Fridays. And most importantly, creating a family."
• Notes: Nobody lost quite as much raw talent as the Tigers. And there will be question marks on the offensive and defensive lines with several new faces. But there's also not school with as much talent in the halls than Galion being the biggest school in Crawford County, and there's always a new wave of players ready to leave their mark on the program. Prosser gives them stability on offense as a now three-year starter, while the likes of Chambers, Evans, and Sallee bolster a strong core on defense. The MOAC is an absolutely brutal conference, this year being no different, so Galion will need to be on its A-game every week.

Wynford

• Conference: Northern 10; Division VI, Region 23
• Coach: Cyle Skidmore (third season, 9-13)
• Last Year: 7-5, 5-2 (third in N10, lost in regional quarterfinals to Bluffton)
• Base Offense/Defense: Wing-T; 3-4
• Notable Returners: Bryce Locker, Jr., FB/MLB; KJ Kotalik, Sr., OT/DT; Jake Stover, Jr., TE/OLB; Anthony Evans, Sr., RB/CB; Hunter Routson, Sr., WR/FS
• Breakout Candidates: Zane Smith, Sr., TE; Landon Miller, So. QB/DB; Brayden Campbell, Jr., QB/DB; Rakim Dever, Sr., WING/P/KR
• Coach's Comments: "We have size and speed on offense, we should be able to run the ball well. We lack depth, though, on the offensive side in general … Defensively we return a lot of key players and have size up front. Again, depth is a concern … This team wants to compete and play at a high level, that isn't always easy to find. We're in a very strong league, and we should compete this year and improve on what we did last season."
• Notes: Wynford has a nice mix of experience and returners at key positions, which should make for a quick growth period for new faces. The Royals looked more like the program of old, and that was enough to show these players what they're capable of. Evans is arguably the best running back returning in the area entering his third year as a starter, Kotalik (6-foot-8, 320) brings strength and size to both sides of the line, and Locker is one of the top linebackers around. Coach Skidmore had the Royals playing some great ball at the end of last season and he'll look to carry that momentum into 2024 and get back to regularly competing for the N10 title.

zholden@gannett.com

419-617-6018

Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Football Preview | Lots to be excited about this season on the gridiron in Crawford County