The Friday night lights are coming on across the 1831Galion coverage area, although one local team did not wait for Friday to begin its season. Colonel Crawford opened the 2026 campaign Thursday night with a convincing 45-21 victory over visiting Fairbanks. The Eagles raced to a remarkable 25-7 lead during the opening quarter and remained firmly in control the rest of the way.
It was an emphatic first step for a program coming off a 13-2 season and its first appearance in a state semifinal. Colonel Crawford will be back on the road next Friday for a 7:30 PM game at Fairfield Union.
Tigers head west for opening night
Galion begins its season tonight with a trip to St. Marys Memorial, where the Tigers and Roughriders will meet at Skip Baughman Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. The stadium location is available through Google Maps. The Tigers enter the new season after an 11-2 campaign that carried them to the Division IV regional championship game. They have now reached the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons under head coach Matt Dick. Galion moves to Division V this fall and will again be expected to contend in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference. Richland Source’s season preview notes that the Tigers return several important contributors while replacing key players at quarterback and along the defensive line. Tonight’s game is a return meeting from last year’s opener, when Galion defeated St. Marys Memorial 35-6 at Unckrich Stadium. The Roughriders recovered from that loss to finish 8-4.
Golden Knights open at home
Northmor will also begin its season at 7:00 PM tonight, welcoming the Upper Sandusky Rams to Golden Knight Stadium. It is another rematch from opening night in 2025. Northmor traveled to Upper Sandusky last August and returned home with a 16-0 victory. The Golden Knights went on to finish 6-4 under head coach Scott Armrose, narrowly missing the postseason after a run of consecutive playoff appearances.
Tonight begins a five-game Northmor home schedule that will also feature Military Night, Homecoming and Senior Night later this fall. The complete opening matchup is listed on the Northmor football schedule.
Follow the scores on 1831Galion
Fans can follow Galion, Northmor and Colonel Crawford throughout the season using the ScoreStream display on the 1831Galion home page. Scroll down on either desktop or mobile to see the latest scores, with updates continuing throughout each game. One local team is already 1-0. By later tonight, the first full weekend of football across the Galion area will be in the books.