NORTH ROBINSON — David Sheldon appreciates the recognition, but Colonel Crawford’s veteran coach has been around long enough to know that state rankings don’t mean much in March.
For the second week in a row, Sheldon’s unbeaten Eagles find themselves atop the Associated Press state poll in Division III. It’s the first time in program history Colonel Crawford has held the top spot.
Crawford looked the part over the weekend, holding Division II No. 8 Waverly to an incredible two first-half points in a 44-23 win at the Battle at the Berkey in Smithville.
“It’s nice respect for our team,” Sheldon said of the state ranking Sunday night. “A lot of that is the tradition that we’ve had.”
Colonel Crawford (18-0) has won 50 consecutive regular season games dating to the 2019-20 season. The Eagles were a perfect 22-0 last year, just the second unbeaten regular season in program history and first since 1962-63.
None of that mattered in the postseason, however, as the Eagles were unceremoniously ousted in the Division III Shelby district semifinals by Willard.
“Last year we were the top-seeded team in the district and we got knocked out in the semis,” said senior swingman and Ashland University recruit Carter Valentine. “At the end of the day, rankings don’t matter.”
The 6-foot-6 Valentine and classmate Mason Studer are the top-scoring tandem in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference. Valentine averages 18.2 points a game, while Studer is good for 17.9 points a night. A point guard, Studer averages 5.6 assists a game and recently became the program’s career assists leader.
While Valentine and Studer rightfully command most of the spotlight, the Eagles have gotten steady production from a host of role players.
Junior Braxton Baker averages 11 points a game. Rugged forward Carson Feichtner is a blue-collar rebounder, while Nolan McKibben is a dangerous spot-up shooter. Jacob Maddy, a 6-foot-5 senior, is the Northern 10’s most efficient shooter, knocking down nearly 63 percent of his field goal attempts.
Colonel Crawford averages almost 65 points a night, but may be even better at the defensive end. The Eagles allow just 39.7 points a game and have held five opponents to 28 points or less.
Waverly’s Trey Robertson, who has scored more than 1,700 career points and is the program’s career scoring leader, managed just eight points Sunday against Colonel Crawford’s stout defense — and six came in the fourth quarter when things already had been decided.
The Eagles didn’t do anything exotic schematically, but played hard-nosed defense and limited the Tigers to one shot on most occasions.
“I thought our guys defensively were phenomenal,” Sheldon said. “We’re long and lengthy and physical and it’s been a benefit.
“Defensively, we always talk about completing possessions. It’s not always getting a stop, but you’ve got to hold them to one shot.”
The Eagles have a one-game lead in the loss column over Upper Sandusky in the chase for the N10 title. Crawford hosts Upper in the regular season finale on Feb. 18.
Then it’s off to the postseason. The Eagles are again the No. 1 seed in the Division III Shelby district.
“I’ve told everybody, those rankings don’t mean anything. Look at last year. We tripped in the district semis,” Sheldon said. “This team is locked in. We have a lot of juniors and seniors that understand that it’s one game at a time and the next one is the most important one.
“The (No. 1 state ranking) is nice for our school and our program, but after last year’s disappointment these guys know that that ranking doesn’t mean much.”
