By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
There’s an endless list of things riding on the outcome Friday’s Game of the Week on Q92.7FM between the Wynford Royals and Colonel Crawford Eagles.
For starters, both are undefeated and involved in a three-way tie with Seneca East for the top spot in the N10 standings. No matter what happens elsewhere in the N10, the team on short end of the stick after Friday’s clash on Gary Field in North Robinson will fall in the standings while the winner stays put for another week.
Statewide recognition is on the line as well. Both teams are currently ranked in the top 12 in Division VI of the AP High School Football Poll. The Eagles are tied for eighth and the Royals are 12th.
The Cleveland Browns are unranked in even this poll, so bad was their performance last week in Philadelphia.
Of course it’s the first poll of the season and it’s a safe bet that most of the poll’s voters haven’t seen either Colonel Crawford or Wynford play this season and wish they hadn’t seen Cleveland play last Sunday. But enough about the hapless Browns. This is about good football.
Polls are something fans always like to point to and argue about. Certainly it means more to them, especially at this point of the season, than it does to players or coaches.
Then there are the computer points rankings that determines who goes to the playoffs and who doesn’t. Again it’s early and the rankings after three weeks is far from indicative of who will be playing in Week 11 and who will be sitting at home.
But regardless, the winner of Friday’s tilt will collect a bonanza of playoff points. Both teams are in Region 22 of Division VI and currently Colonel Crawford is second behind Liberty Center while Wynford is fifth. The third unbeaten N10 team, Seneca East, is seventh.
The difference between the Eagles and Royals is largely due to their opponents’ collective records at this juncture of the season. Colonel Crawford’s opponents are a combined 5-4 while Wynford’s are 1-8.
A loss Friday certainly won’t disqualify anyone from the postseason as the computer standings will be shuffled more often than a Las Vegas blackjack deck over the coming weeks. However, the winner will get valuable points not only on Friday, but for every game the rest of regular season that their vanquished opponent wins.
Then there is the Iron Plow. This is a trophy game between the two Crawford County rivals, albeit a relatively new aspect to this annual match-up with the Royals laying claim in the only two years it has been contested.
Of course there is Wynford’s N10 winning streak which dates back to the inception of the Northern 10 Conference. The Royals have never lost an N10 football game. Never. The Royals last league loss was in the old NCC back in 2013, the last time Wynford failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Who beat the Royals? Colonel Crawford, 20-14, on Gary Field.
If all of that isn’t enough, there is the most important thing of all to players, coaches and fans from both schools. Bragging rights. Wynford and Colonel Crawford started their football programs at nearly the same time and have been playing each other every fall for more than 50 years. The arguments over the fence rows and backyard fences began before the first kickoff and have been going on ever since.
Colonel Crawford Athletics Director Dave Sheldon has been preselling tickets to this game all week. If you can’t make it, tune in to Q92.7FM or go online to www.wqel.com to listen to Jeff Roberts and Josh Stallings bring you all the action.
Stay right there after the game as Davey Jones will have plenty to talk about on Friday Night Phoneboard about from that game and all the others in the area.