BUCYRUS — As the leaves gather on the ground and temperatures drop, that signals the end of the regular season of high school football is near. More importantly, the OHSAA playoffs begin in two weeks.
Several area teams are sitting in solid spots, while others are fighting to get a berth in Week 11. The top 16 teams from each region qualify for the playoffs.
There are 708 schools in this week’s 11-player football computer ratings, including five from Crawford County and the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.
· Colonel Crawford (7-1) is ranked second behind Bluffton with 13.298 points in Division VI, Region 22. The Eagles travel to Mohawk (1-7) on Friday night, virtually guaranteed a home game.
The Eagles edged Wynford 37-34 for the Iron Plow trophy in a thriller. Mohawk fell to Seneca East 30-7.
Colonel Crawford is led by the triple threat backfield of quarterback Trevor Vogt (865 yards rushing and 6 TDs) and running backs Micah Thomas (839 yards and 10 scores) and Connor McMichael (509 yards and 7 touchdowns).
Ryan McMichael anchors the Eagles defense with 74 total tackles. Payne DeGray has 26 tackles for loss and Lane Rike 18. Ryan McMichael has 11 catches and one touchdown, and Connor McMichael six, with three TDs.
· Carey (6-2) is ranked fifth in that region. The Bue Devils travel to Upper Sandusky. The Rams are 4-4 and are ranked 18th.
Carter Smiley has thrown for five touchdowns, and Eli Steen leads the ground game with 714 yards and nine scores. Linebacker Nathan Brodman moors the Carey D with 80 tackles.
· Galion (5-3) holds down the fourth spot in Division IV, Region 14, just ahead of Bellevue (3-5) who beat them in the first round last year.
The Tigers are battling injuries as they prepare to host River Valley. The Vikings are 4-4 and fifth in the same region, which is traditionally strong with playoff-caliber squads. Sandusky Perkins is 7-0 and ranked first.
Running back Gabe Ivy leads Galion with 776 yards rushing and eight scores. Landon Campbell and Linkon Tyrrell lead the defense with eight and seven sacks, respectively.
Two teams that are trying to remain in playoff contention meet at Wynford as the Royals host Seneca East.
Wynford (4-4, 3-2) is ranked 12th in Division VI, Region 22. Seneca East (5-3, 4-1) sits in 10th.
· Seneca East looked sharp in its win over Mohawk, led by senior QB Blake Foos. He has thrown for 1,215 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is the Tigers and the N10’s leading rusher with 958 yards and 11 scores.
Taylor Young has four receiving touchdowns, while freshman Jackson Gayheart has six on the ground. Luke Hicks’ 15 TFL leads the Tigers defense.
· For Wynford quarterback Ashton Warren has 957 passing yards and 10 TDs. Anthony Evans (854 yards) and Kaiden Blair (668) have combined for 17 rushing touchdowns.
James Rindfuss averages 24.3 yards per catch and has seven scores. Blair has 69 tackles, Evan Wright 65, and Bryce Locker 63 for the Royals defensive unit.
· Northmor also is in a good position, ranked fourth in Division VI, Region 23. The Golden Knights are 6-2, second in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, and host Centerburg, also 6-2.
Quarterback AJ Bower has thrown for 1400 yards and 20 touchdowns. Jax Wenger has caught eight of those TD strikes and has 417 receiving yards. Bo Landon (eight scores) and Hunter Fulk (three) provide a triple threat at the wideout position.
· In a game where the winner will get its first N10 win of the season, Buckeye Central visits Bucyrus with both teams 0-5. The Bucks are 2-6 overall and the Redmen 0-8.
· Ridgedale is 5-3 and currently ranked 19th in Division VII, Region 26. The Rockets host Northwest Central Conference foe Waynesfield-Goshen.