Redmen, Bucks set to clash; Royals control destiny

• Redmen, Bucks square off in inter-county contest
• Royals look to solidify N10 hopes
• Colonel Crawford hosts non-conference game
• Galion with important MOAC contest

Week 7 of high school football season will be an interesting one for Crawford County. Featuring one inter-county matchup between Bucyrus and Buckeye Central, the rest of the county should fare well in its Week 7 games. Wynford will be hosting Seneca East in what looks like will determine whether or not the Royals will win the N10 outright or if there will be a three way tie with two weeks left in the season.

Let’s take a look at the Week 7 matchups:

Bucyrus Redmen (1-5, 0-4) at Buckeye Central Bucks (4-2, 2-2)

The Redmen have made incredible strides since Week 1. The strides have yet to show on the scoreboard, but the Bucyrus defense will be hoping to make a dramatic turn against the Bucks.

Last week, Bucyrus gave up 35 points to Upper Sandusky. A kickoff return, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and an interception giving the Rams great field position fueled the rout. But, the Redmen defense realistically gave up just 14 points in the loss. Eliminating the easy scores will be the key for Bucyrus in Week 7.

The Redmen must also get the run game established. The Bucks are giving up some points on defense and if the Redmen can find a run game and control the clock, it is their best chance at success.

Yet, as many points as the Bucks give up, they score even more. Unfortunately, the Bucks run game took a hit in a loss to Carey last week. Senior running back Cody Roberts, the third-leading rusher in the Northern 10 Conference, sustained a season-ending ankle injury. The Bucks will be missing the hard-nosed runner and his 716 yards. Nash Ehresman and Owen Ackerman are now the go-to guys in the backfield.

With the hit to the run game, Grant Loy, the N10’s second leading passer, will be throwing more against the Redmen to test a pretty good secondary. Loy is just 90 yards behind in the N10 passing yards standings with 1,092 yards.

The Redmen have struggled in the run game piling up just 395 total yards on the season. Gavin Lewis has 138 of those yards and has thrown for 619 yards as the Redmen quarterback. If the Redmen are hoping to pull off an upset, it will start with Lewis.

The Bucks are coming off of that disappointing loss to Carey and will be looking to rebound and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Seneca East Tigers (5-1, 4-1) at Wynford Royals (5-1, 4-0)

This could determine the N10 champion. On paper, Wynford should win the ballgame. The Royals beat Colonel Crawford who beat Seneca East. Even though the Royals will have three N10 games remaining after their matchup with Seneca East, they should be able to run the table the rest of the way if they beat the Tigers.

In the Royals matchup last week with Bishop Ready, they were able to control the clock and develop two drives of more than seven minutes long. The weather dictated the play calling for the Royals, but with a decent forecast for Week 7, the Royals will open up the playbook and feed those speedy receivers.

Zach Hoffman and Nick Looker are as good of a one-two punch as any pair in the area. The pair are averaging more than seven yards a carry each. So, if the passing game does not yield success, the Royals can always depend on the run game.

But, do not be surprised if Hoffman shows off another aspect of his game. He has 659 yards on the season. But, the Tigers are giving up just 80 passing yards per game and 188 yards rushing. Again, the game situation may dictate the Royals play calling.

The Tigers will throw the ball. It almost came back to bite them last week at Mohawk when the weather was the worst possible conditions for a passing game. The Tigers pulled out the victory, but it was a nailbiter. The Royals are giving up just 60 yards passing per game and the Tigers are averaging 204 yards through the air. It will be a battle of strengths on Friday night.

Manchester Panthers (3-3) at Colonel Crawford Eagles (5-1, 4-1)

The Eagles have found a groove since their loss to Wynford in Week 3. The defense has found its identity and has given up just 24 points in three games since their only loss of the season. The offense has also found success piling up 140 points in the three games.

Manchester started the season 0-3 with losses to Hillsdale, Woodridge and Norwayne. But, it has turned it around and rallied off three straight wins over Wooster Triway, Fairless and Tuscarawas Valley. The Panthers are hoping to make the trip from Akron to steal a win.

The key for the Eagles are to stick to what has made them successful thus far. Run the offense through Will Kirkpatrick and Blake Treisch. The play action passing game could be the Eagles best friend, especially if Owen Adams gets one-on-one coverage. Kirkpatrick has a strong enough arm to connect with Adams for some big plays.

Defensively for the Eagles, the key will be to force long third down situations and limit the big plays.

River Valley Vikings (5-1, 3-0) at Galion Tigers (4-2, 1-2)

Galion will be entering the MOAC game after a dramatic win at Marion Harding last week.

The key for the Tigers is to run the offense through running back Drake Barnett. The back has over 1,000 yards rushing though six weeks. Not many are giving the Tigers much of a chance, but Galion will be at home and playing a team traveling from Caledonia. This will be a season decider for the Tigers and a win will keep the Tigers in the playoff hunt.

Lucas Cubs (6-0) at Crestline Bulldogs (0-6)

The Bulldogs are entering their third straight MBC game that will be an ugly ballgame. The Cubs are coming off of a great Week 6 win against Loudonville, a team that beat the Bulldogs 64-10. The Cubs should have no problems and could iron out some offensive details in preparation with a Week 8 showdown with Danville.

The Bulldogs have one chance left in a Week 8 matchup with Open Door Christian to end the losing streak.

jfurr@gannett.com

419-610-5034

Twitter: @JakeFurr11