New faces, old faces have county football on the rise
BUCYRUS – Last year, area football teams saw some incredible talent leave it all on the field one final time.
In 2016, those same teams return exceptional athletes but also will see some fresh new faces at key positions. Those faces are the next wave of big-time playmakers in Crawford County, but don’t sleep on the old faces; they are not ready to hang up the cleats yet.
The Bucyrus Redmen have a familiar face at quarterback in senior Gavin Lewis. A 3-sport star, Lewis earned the starting nod in 2016 after splitting time last season under center. His 705 passing yards were good for fifth in the Northern 10 Conference.
“I want a lot better season than last year as a team,” Lewis said. “Our offense has some versatility. All of our skilled players can catch and create plays with the ball in their hands. I am really wanting to put up a lot of points this year.”
Sophomore Harley Robinson shows promise as the future of Bucyrus football. He played multiple positions as a freshman including wide receiver and kick returner. Lewis is excited to have his young weapon on the field.
“I expect him to have a lot of catches this year,” Lewis said of his young weapon. “He is incredibly fast. He ran a 4.61 40-yard dash in practice. He is one of our best deep threats.”
Robinson returned a kick for a touchdown last season and returns as the team’s leading receiver with 207 yards and two scores.
“I learned a lot last year,” Robinson said. “The game is so much faster on Friday nights compared to middle school. It was hard to step up and play, but this year it has all sunk in and I am kind of used to it.”
Although he struggled at first with the transition to varsity football, he admits Lewis played a huge role in helping him prepare for 2016.
“He is a great leader,” Robinson said. “He has helped me keep my cool and composure especially if I drop a pass. He tells me it is all right and I will get it next time.”
Across the cornfield, the Wynford Royals will see a familiar face under center as well. As an early N10 offensive player of the year favorite, senior Zach Hoffman brings his 1,311 rushing and 1,197 passing yards back to the Royals for one more season. He reached the end zone 38 times last season.
Joining him in the back field is an unfamiliar face to the gridiron, but a familiar face on the track. Junior Robbie Miller, a member of the 2016 state championship 4x100 team, will take over at running back.
“I just expect to have another great year and really excel on the field,” Hoffman said. “I would love to replicate what I did last year, but I am focused on the team and our goals. I am very confident in Robbie. He got a lot of reps last year and proved he could play well for us.”
Miller knows he follows a great line of Wynford running backs and is anxious to see what he can do on Friday nights.
“I have huge shoes to fill with Nick Looker leaving,” Miller said of the Royals’ 1,091-yard back last season. “He was a great player, but I have very high expectations for myself with yards and touchdowns and really doing whatever my team needs me to do to win.”
Miller admits he is coming into 2016 with little pressure thanks to his quarterback.
“There is so much pressure off of me because he is in the backfield with me,” Miller said. “We can do a lot with Zach because he can pass, run and do it all. It takes a lot of pressure off of me because I know I won’t have to run the ball every play.”
It is not only his quarterback taking the pressure off, but also his performance in the state track meet. Though, he knows Friday nights are a bit different than a track meet.
“Football is a completely different animal,” Miller said. “You come out here on Friday nights with the lights, spotlight is on you, fans filling up the stands. It is just a great scene.”
The Colonel Crawford Eagles have a lot of holes to fill, but one that is as solid as it gets is at running back. Senior Blake Treisch returns for his senior season after piling up 1,122 yards and 15 touchdowns. But the senior has a trick up his sleeve; maybe more of a bribe to his offensive line.
“It is my senior year and I just want to do the best I can,” Treisch said. “I owe it to my offensive line to perform well. I told them if they help me break the rushing record at Colonel Crawford, I will take them out to dinner.”
Junior Hayden Bute steps in at quarterback after N10 offensive player of the year Will Kirkpatrick graduated. Though there may be some pressure with filling such big shoes, Bute feels comfortable and ready especially with Treisch in the back field.
“It makes it 110 times better to have Blake back there,” Bute said. “When we run the ball and smash away, we can do a play-action pass and gain 20-30 yards or score a touchdown. It is great to have him back there helping me out.”
Though he knows he still wants to contribute and make a difference for the Eagles.
“I really want to be more of a leader, command the offense and be the guy everyone else can feed on,” Bute said. “I want to be an impact player on both sides of the ball and do what my team needs me to do.”
In the early goings, Treisch has been impressed with his young quarterback on the practice field.
“I think he is going to adapt very well,” Treisch said. “He has been working hard in practice, executing plays and stepping up as a leader. I think he will do very well.”
In New Washington, the Buckeye Central Bucks bring back a senior running back who was tasked with replacing Cody Roberts after an ankle injury. Senior Athen Moyer stepped in and performed well for the Bucks and is looking for a big year as he gets the starting nod.
“My personal goal is to rush for 1,000 yards and get better as a running back being a leader for the young guys,” Moyer said. “I think if I can rush for that many yards it will help the team win and they will see I am doing my part.”
Moyer ran for 432 yards and six touchdowns as a junior filling in as a backup. This season, he will have sophomore Bryce Lutz to run behind as the anchor of the offensive line.
“He is like the biggest guy we have,” Moyer said. “I am very excited to be running behind him. He and Trent Craft on the line are going to be fun to have as lead blockers.”
Lutz was pointed out by new head coach Rob Detterman to be the player to watch in 2016.
“I feel honored to be looked at as the future leader of this team, but at the same time, I have a lot of responsibility to make sure that I fill in the gaps that have been made by people who have graduated.”
Lutz has just one thing on his mind – winning.
“I just need to be ready and keep practicing hard,” Lutz said. “I need to make sure I don’t let the team down; it is all about family.”
With a new season brings new faces, but the old faces are not ready to be forgotten. Both faces expect Crawford County football to reign supreme for a very long time.
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Twitter: @JakeFurr11