By Dan Messerschmidt
CCN Sports Director

We’ve reached the midway point of the season and we’re beginning to discover some things about local football.

Featured this week is one of the biggest rivalries in the county and an early showdown between two other Northern 10 Athletic Conference rivals.

Colonel Crawford (3-1, 1-0) at Wynford (3-1, 1-0)

This rivalry now plays for the Iron Plow Trophy, but its roots go back to the creation of the two districts over 50 years ago.

Colonel Crawford makes the short trip to Holmes Township in hopes of strengthening its position in the playoff computer rankings and hold onto a share of first place in the N10.

The Eagles are coming off a convincing 49-6 win over Upper Sandusky in the N10 opener last week. Quarterback Zye Shipman leads the league in passing, having thrown for 644 yards and five touchdowns. Dylan Knisely is second in the N10 in rushing with 456 yards and five scores.

The Royals have still not lost a football game in the N10 since its inception. Colonel Crawford would like to be the team to change all that.

Wynford will try to keep the streak going even though the Royals have no individual leaders in any offensive category. Quarterback Dustin Brady is fourth in the N10 in passing with 419 yards and three touchdowns. Alizhah Watson is sixth in rushing with 243 yards and two scores.

Colonel Crawford sits sixth in Division VI, Region 22 and Wynford is eighth in the same region, so there are many valuable computer points to be had here.

Buckeye Central (0-4, 0-1) at Upper Sandusky (2-2, 0-1)

Upper Sandusky looks to get back on track after taking it on the chin last week at Colonel Crawford, though doubtlessly, turnovers made the scoring differential worse than it should have been.

Quarterback Levi Malone has passed for 637 yards and six touchdowns, both second in the N10. Nate McMillan leads the ground attack with 345 yards rushing.

Buckeye Central is still searching for that elusive first win. The Bucks will have to find a way to score, as they have not registered more than one touchdown in any of the first four games.

The load falls on Avery Baldosser, their leading rusher, who has also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. And the defense will have to hold the Rams well under the 38 points per game average it has been surrendering.

Carey (2-2, 1-0) at Bucyrus (1-3, 0-1)

Bucyrus surprised a few people last week when the Redmen trailed powerful Seneca East just 14-13 at halftime and probably should have had the lead.

The Tigers took control in the second half to win, 47-13, but Bucyrus showed glimpses of its potential. The Redmen brain trusts will need to continue to find ways to get the ball into the hands of their two players with game-breaking potential, Harley Robinson and Keaton Naufzinger.

Quarterback Ben Seibert has thrown for 296 yards and four touchdowns and Devon Newland has 229 yards on the ground and two scores.

Carey is coming off a 35-14 loss to archrival Mohawk in a game that was close early. Quarterback Ethan Beringer is third in the N10 with 558 yards and his seven touchdowns is first, along with just two picks.

The Blue Devils are ninth in Division VI, Region 22 and need this win of they hope to be back in the playoffs this year. Bucyrus will need to play four quarters of solid, mistake-free football on both sides of the ball to pull off the upset.

Galion (3-1, 0-1) at River Valley (1-3, 0-1)

Galion absorbed its first loss of the season at the hands of powerful Pleasant, 44-21, in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Tigers sit 10th in Division IV, Region 14 and desperately need a win to stay within shouting distance of a playoff spot.

Quarterback Elias Middleton leads the MOAC in passing with 716 yards and eight touchdowns. He is also third in rushing with 440 yards and five scores. Linebackers Gavin Pennington leads the league in tackles with 58.

River Valley is coming off a tough 8-6 loss to Buckeye Valley, so the Vikings will try to get back on the winning track. Quarterback Jake Green is second in the MOAC in passing yards with 602 yards, good for four touchdowns, but he has also been intercepted nine times.

Gates Mills Hawken (0-4) at Crestline (1-3)

Crestline needs to get the offense back on track. After scoring 26 points in their season-opening win over Buckeye Central, the Bulldogs have managed just 20 points in three games, including last week’s 26-0 loss at Dayton Christian.

Hawken is winless, but the Hawks’ first four opponents are a combined 11-5, so strength of schedule could be a factor.

Seneca East (4-0, 1-0) at Mohawk (4-0, 1-0)

This could be the game of the year in the N10. Seneca East is first in Division VI, Region 22 and Mohawk is atop Division VII, Region 26.

The Tigers’ Blaine Swartzmiller leads the league in rushing with 623 yards and nine touchdowns. Quarterback Chase Foos has thrown for 403 yards and three scores, though he missed last week’s game at Bucyrus due to injury.

Quarterback Zack Hayman is second in the N10 in passing with 337 yards and five scores. Bryce Kirian and Keith Jenkins are third and fourth, respectively, in rushing, with a combined 746 yards and five touchdowns.

It could come down to the defenses as Seneca East has surrendered just 33 points in four games and the Warriors have only given up 36.

Ridgedale (1-3) at Fairfield Christian (0-4).

After scoring 52 points in the first two weeks, Ridgedale has been shut out the last two games. Fairfield Christian could be just what the doctor ordered for the Rockets’ ailing offense. The Knights’ defense has been bludgeoned for 170 points in four games.

If the long trip to Millersport doesn’t take a toll, this could be an excellent opportunity for Ridgedale to notch its second win.