Trojans' Ireland, Nichols qualify for Columbus

Findlay High's Bri Nichols and Ben Ireland punched their tickets to the 2022 state track meet, and a number of FHS athletes may be on the bubble following the Division I regional track and field meet held at the Cooper Tire Track and Field Complex on Friday. Ireland, a state qualifier in the 400-meter run as a junior, is headed back to state in that event. The FHS senior was second on Friday in a time of 48.65. Nichols, also a state qualifier in the discus, is headed back to state after placing second at regional with a throw of 137-0. The top four placers in each event automatically qualify for the state meet to be held at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. Two at-large bids, based on results from regional meets across the state, will be awarded to the next two top times, distances or heights. Jacob Barfell may be on the bubble in the 110-meter high hurdles after he placed fifth in Friday's finals with a time of 15.35. Barfell was also tenth in the 300 hurdles (41.14). Alex Theis, Avion Miles, Israel Moore and Ireland placed sixth in the 800 relay (1:30.74). Zack Doepker was seventh (21-1) and Miles eighth (21 0-1/4) in the long jump, with Doepker also finishing tenth in the high jump (5-10). Moore was 11th in the 100 (11.64), Ty Cordonnier was 14th in the 800 (2:00.35) and Adrian Stechschulte 14th in the 1,600 (4:33.84). Findlay's 3,200 relay was also 14th (8:27.76). Natalie Rakestraw figured in three top-ten placings for Findlay girls. The senior sprinter was sixth in the 100 (12.67), eighth in the 200 (26.25) and teamed with Hannah Ragland, Katelyn Stechschulte and Elizabeth Laird and on the seventh-place 400 relay. Stechschulte was seventh in the long jump (16 8-1/2) and Makayla May was eighth in the pole vault (10-0). DIVISION III at PORT CLINTON PORT CLINTON — Sherron Jones was already having a stellar senior season for Hopewell-Loudon.Now the soon-to-be University of Findlay runner will have four regional gold medals to go along with that.Jones took first in the 100 (11.03), 200 (22.62) and 400 (48.56) meter relays and was a part of the Chieftains winning 4x200 (1:30.56) during the second day of the D-III regional track meet at Port Clinton Friday.Justin Holland, Jagger Endicott and Nico Garcia were also a part of H-L's winning 4x200 team.The regional title, though, went to the Columbus Grove boys, which scored 83 points.After Tadd Koch and Lawson Maag took first and second in the discus on Wednesday, the Bulldogs picked up another gold medal in the field event as AJ Schafer (52-06 3/4 ) edged out H-L's Ryan Cook (51-10 ½) in the shot put to make it to state.Grove's 4x200 team (Josh Smith, Braylon Baxter, Landon Myers and Carson Closson) took second in the event with a time of 1:32.70.Closson (1:57.55) advanced in the 800-meter run as well, taking second place. He was a part of the second-place 4x400 team alongside Caleb Stechsculte, Trenton Barraza and Anden Blankemeyer that ran a time of 3:26.62 as well.Blankemeyer took fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.94 to advance to state.Bluffton (68.50) came in second place at the regional meet, doing very well in the mid-to-long distance events.Eden Antrim (4:24.14) and Landon Armstrong (1:56.07) led the way, winning the 1,600 and 800-meter titles respectively.Antrim and Armstrong teamed up with Justin Goof and Ethan Bogart to run a first-place time of 3:26.54 in the 1,600-meter relay.Bogart advanced to state in the 300 hurdles as well, with a second-place time of 39.83.Erik Nygaard (4:49.98) took fourth in the 3,200 for the Pirates.McComb's 4x100 team of Ka'Von Bailey, Andrew Swisher, Braxton Althauser and Cam Glaser took first with a time of 43.97 to advance to next week's meet. The same four took third in the 4x200 with a time of 1:31.70.Arlington's Eli Evans qualified in the 100 (11.44) and 200 (22.99) and finished third in both.Van Buren's Andrew Parsell ran a first-place time of 15.26 in the 110 hurdles.On the girls' side, Leipsic's Peyton Heitmeyer will have plenty of chances to pick up a medal as she qualified in the 100 (13.03), 200 (26.24) and 400 (57.76).Columbus Grove's 4x200 team consisting of Brynn Fortman, Kiersten Closson, Lauryn Auchmuty and Savannah Ridenour took second with a time of 1:45.71.In the 4x100, the same four took third with a time of 51.01.Riverdale took second in the 400 relay with a time of 50.72 that was run by Kendel Rall, Ella Roach, Auhdra Myers and Alyssa Tackett.Those four teamed up again in the 800 relay and ran a fourth-place time of 1:46.64.Carey saw Sarah Reinhart (5:12.83) run a fourth-place time in the 3,200 to make it to next week's meet. Lexi Plott (5-5) took third in the high jump.Hopewell-Loudon's Alivia Roerdink took home gold in the 800-meter run, running a time of 2:17.67.VB's Ella Webster took second in the 3,200 with a time of 5:11.30.Arcadia's Paige Massie cleared 5-03 in the high jump to grab the fourth spot.Bri Taber (11-00) took second in the pole vault for Bluffton.Anna Barber will go home with a silver medal after finishing second in the discus with a throw of 125-9 for Elmwood. BASEBALL Division II District Semifinal DEFIANCE 16 O-G 1 ARCHBOLD – Defiance pitcher Jayden Jerger faced Ottawa-Glandorf once during the regular season. He no-hit the Titans. Friday, in the Division II district semifinal at Archbold, Jerger wasn't quite as good against O-G. But he was close. Jerger allowed just a run and two hits and struck out eight in five innings, as the Bulldogs eliminated the Titans with a 16-1 rout. Jerger walked three batters in improving to 8-0. The Bulldogs moved to 27-2. For Ottawa-Glandorf, Carter Schimmoeller singled, and was driven home on Nate Maag's double in the third inning. At the time, Ottawa-Glandorf trailed just 2-1. But Defiance roared back, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and then adding 12 in the bottom of the fourth. For Defiance, Wade Liffick tripled, singled and drove in four runs. Aidan Kiessling doubled, singled twice and drove in three runs. Ottawa-Glandorf's Carter Duling started and went three innings, allowing seven runs, five earned, on five hits. He struck out three and walked four, taking the loss. Ottawa-Glandorf &emsp;&emsp;001&emsp;&emsp;00 – 1 2 &emsp;&emsp;2 Defiance &emsp;&emsp;022&emsp;&emsp;(12)X – 16 &emsp;&emsp;9 &emsp;&emsp;0 WP – Jerger. LP – Duling. TOP HITTERS: (O-G) Maag 2B, RBI; Schimmoeller 1B, R. (D) Lifflick 3B, 1B, 2-R, 4-RBI; Kiessling 2B, 2-1B, 3-RBI; Shaw 2-1B, 3-R. SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE Regional Track Division II at Lexington, Piqua