Crawford 100: Four juniors and one senior make up the Top 5 boys

The finale of the summer-long series is here as we'll count down the top five male athletes returning in Crawford County.

Four schools, five talented athletes, four three-sport athletes and two All-Ohioans are featured this week to get us ready for fall sports.

Let's take a look at who rounds out the final installment of the Crawford 100.

5. Mason Gebhardt, Bucyrus, senior

Gebhardt is coming off a fantastic junior year representing Bucyrus on the gridiron, taking to the mat in the winter and then onto the track for spring. He totaled 99 tackles, 44 solo, 2.5 for loss and one interception to earn honorable mention All-Northern 10 for a team that picked up wins over Mississinawa Valley, Buckeye Central and Upper Sandusky.

When wrestling season rolled around, he was a standout as Bucyrus went 7-2. Gebhardt won 25 matches at 132 pounds, recording second-place finishes at the Galion tournament and N10 tournament, third place at the Ada tournament and went 4-1 at the Triad Duals. He earned second-team All-Northern 10 and was an honorable mention at sectionals.

In the spring Gebhardt he competed in the 200 meters, long jump and as part of relays. With another season to get stronger and train for his specific events, he could be in store for a major time drop in the 200, lengthen jumps in his field event, and help the 4x200 relay to a potential regional appearance with three of the four runners back.

4. Malachi Bayless, Bucyrus, junior

Bayless' name is heard frequently throughout the year at Bucyrus. From the moment he entered high school, his talent was put on display Week 1 of football, lining up under center and going on to complete 46.3% of his passes for 1,351 yards, 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while also rushing for 42 yards and a score. He also broke the school's single-game passing record with 423 yards against Upper Sandusky as a freshman. With a year of experience under his belt, Bayless' numbers improved as he threw for 1,405 yards with a 46.2% completion rate, 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for a Bucyrus team that went 3-7.

In the winter he went on to earn honorable mention All-Northern 10 in basketball, averaging a team-high 11.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals with 35 3-pointers. His 415 points last winter is the second most in a single-season at Bucyrus and a program-best for a sophomore after he nabbed top spot as a freshman with 158. Bayless' 573 career points are the most of any player in program history by 267, and he's on pace to make history as the school's first 1,000-point scorer in boys basketball.

And in the spring Bucyrus endured a difficult season as a team on the diamond, but Bayless was one of the bright spots, batting .303 with 20 hits, 14 runs and two RBIs while also striking out 21 on the mound. He earned honorable mention All-N10 as one of just three players to hit over .300 for the year.

3. Landon Campbell, Galion, junior

Campbell is part of a special sophomore class at Galion and made an impact on any (and every) team of which he was part. It started in the fall with football, though, as he quickly established himself as one of the best all-around players on the gridiron. While earning third team All-Ohio as a punter after averaging 40 yards a kick, Campbell was also a threat on offense and defense. He hauled in 17 catches for 169 yards and three touchdowns while also recording 99 tackles, 13 for loss, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Wrestling season was a special one for Campbell, who made the big jump from 152 pounds as a freshman to 190 last year and thrived. He went 3-3 at the state tournament, placing sixth overall — and that's with him only training for wrestling during wrestling season. His goal is to add more attacks these final two years and work on his cardio. And if he's able to improve in both of those, watch out.

When the weather warmed back up, Campbell took to the diamond and he batted .298 with 14 hits, 13 runs and six RBIs while also (unexpectedly) becoming the ace on the mound after the now-graduated Brody Symsick was sidelined a majority of the year with an injury. He threw 40⅔ innings, going 1-5 with a 4.65 ERA and 24 strikeouts for a Tigers team that finished 8-14 (4-10 MOAC). As mentioned above, Campbell is just one of a number of talented juniors looking to make their marks on the Galion athletics program.

2. Trevor Vogt, Colonel Crawford, junior

As a freshman Vogt was on the outside looking in for football and basketball before giving everyone a glimpse of his potential during track season. A state qualifier as a freshman in the hurdles, Vogt – like all great athletes – got bigger, stronger and faster entering his sophomore year and found a role on the gridiron, basketball court and on the track.

One of several options out wide for quarterback Kam Lohr, Vogt caught 10 passes for 144 yards, returned 16 kickoffs for a 23.8 average and a touchdown, and recorded 37 tackles, five for loss and an interception. The Eagles went 10-2, losing to Crestview in the second weekend of the postseason, and finished second in the Northern 10 behind state champion Carey.

In the winter Vogt was a rotational player off the bench for arguably the greatest Eagles boys basketball team of all time, as they made a run to the regional championship for the first time in program history before losing to state runner-up Ottawa-Glandorf. He played in 18 of the team's 27 games, scoring 15 points, but his role should see a dramatic increase this season with five seniors – and most of the scoring – gone from that team.

In track, Vogt picked up where he left off as a freshman by winning Northern 10 titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles along with a runner-up finish in the long jump. At the district meet he was runner-up in the 110 hurdles before bouncing back and winning a postseason title in the 300 hurdles. He made his return to state – and first appearance at Jesse Owens – in both hurdles, earning at-large bids before finishing 13th and 17th, respectively, in preliminaries. But the experience of competing at the most prestigious stadium in the state and getting a taste of what it's like to run there was all he needed as added motivation to make sure he's back in Columbus the first weekend of June 2023 and 2024.

1. Grant McGuire, Wynford, junior

Anyone who knows Crawford County sports knows the last name McGuire. Wynford's talented junior is our lone two-sport athlete on the list, but after receiving first team All-Ohio honors in baseball, it was impossible to put him anywhere but first.

Full Crawford 100

No. 11-26Crawford 100: Two schools dominate No. 11-26 with current (and future) All-Ohioans

No. 26-40Crawford 100: Loads of state experience mixed with limitless talent in No. 26-40

No. 41-55Crawford 100: State experience galore with young talent sprinkled in for No. 41-55

No. 56-70Crawford 100: Multi-sport athletes on expectedly great teams make up No. 56-70

No. 71-85Crawford 100: No. 71-85 a nice mix of underclassmen and seniors

No. 86-100Crawford 100: Promising young talent kicks things off with No. 86-100

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford 100: All-Ohioans and state regulars make up top-five boys