Findlay to host 3rd annual FIGHT

Findlay to host 3rd annual FIGHT Some of the top individual talents and many of the elite teams in the country will descend on Findlay this weekend when the third annual Findlay Invitational Girls High-School Tournament – "FIGHT"— will be hosted by Findlay High School and held Friday and Saturday at the University of Findlay's Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex.The event, designed to promote the sports of girls wrestling at the high school level, drew 42 teams and 262 wrestlers in 2022. Last year, the number of competitors rose to over 400.Past FIGHT tournaments have included the defending girls state championship teams from Washington (Toppenish), Arizona (Liberty) and Kentucky (Harrison County), along with the runner-up team from West Virginia (East Hardy) and third-place team from Indiana (Jay County).Cumberland Valley High School from Pennsylvania won last year's tournament. Findlay's Laney Oliver, a three-time state runner-up in Ohio, was third in the 190-pound division last year and Julia Bollenbacher (145) placed eighth. Kate Simmons, already a two-time tournament champion this season, is another solid contender at 170.In other Findlay High events this week, the FHS boys basketball team continues its four-game homestand and opens conference play in the Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division when the Trojans host Anthony Wayne today at the FHS Gymnasium.Findlay brings a 1-3 record into the matchup. Anthony Wayne, after a season-opening 60-58 loss to Sylvania Southview, is 2-1.Blake Robinson, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, is the top returning letterman for eighth-year Anthony Wayne coach Josh Arthur. Juniors Zane Kudzia and Jackson Urenovitch also return, and the Generals feature good size with 6-6 senior Cole Biedenharn, 6-4 junior Mason Taylor and 6-3 sophomore Cole Gast.Findlay wraps up its homestand on Friday when Toledo Whitmer, which returns four starters from last year's state semifinal team and is this year's preseason pick to win the league, comes to town. The Panthers started 0-2, losing to perennial state powers Reynoldsburg (87-76) and 2021 state champion Centerville (79-63), but have since chalked up wins over Lima Senior (66-62) and Oregon Clay (79-37).Findlay completes a busy pre-holiday break week with a road game at Tiffin Columbian (1-3) on Saturday, starting a stretch of five straight road games capped by a Jan. 11 game at Ottawa-Glandorf.Findlay's girls basketball team, off to a 5-2 start, will be wrapping up the 2024 portion of its schedule with road games at Lima Senior on Wednesday, at St. Marys Memorial on Saturday and at Wapakoneta on Dec. 28. The Trojans open 2025 with a home game against Toledo Scott on Jan. 4.Findlay's boys and girls swim teams will be competing in the Northwest Ohio Classic at Bowling Green State University this weekend. The diving competition will be held on Friday, with swimmers taking to the pool on Saturday.Findlay's hockey team will be in Cleveland competing in the Padua Tournament. BOYS BASKETBALL MOHAWK 42H-LOUDON 28BASCOM – Mohawk erased a 12-10 first quarter deficit by outscoring Hopewell-Loudon 26-6 over the middle two periods and beat the Chieftains 42-28 in a nonleague boys basketball matchup on Monday.Hunter Haynes scored 13 points and Boomer Cleveland had 11 for Mohawk (3-0). Connor Flood scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Warriors.Brayton Martinez led Hopewell-Loudon (2-1) with 10 points.H-LOUDON (2-1)San Gregory 2-02—4, Martinez 3-1—10, Brickman 1-0—3, Ewald 2-0—5, Wyman 1-1—4. Totals: 10-36 2-6—28.Mohawk (3-0)Hayman 3-0—6, Bish 1-0—2, Cleveland 3-2—11, Parker 1-0—2, Haynes 4-2—13, Flood 3-2—8. TOTALS: 16-47 6-12—42.H-Loudon 12 4 2 8—28Mohawk 10 15 11 6—423-POINT GOALS: Mohawk 4-14 (Haynes 3, Cleveland); Hopewell-Loudon 4-14 (Martinez, Brickman, Ewald, Wyman).REBOUNDS: Mohawk 25 (Flood 12); Hopewell-Loudon 18 (Nutter 6).TURNOVERS: Mohawk 13; Hopewell-Loudon 22.JUNIOR VARSITY: Mohawk, 41-40. GIRLS BASKETBALL O-GLANDORF 61P. HENRY 51OTTAWA – In a battle of unbeatens, Ottawa-Glandorf outlasted Patrick Henry 61-51 in girls basketball action on Monday.O-G led 20-10 after one period of play and 30-26 at the half. Patrick Henry rallied, though, even taking the lead, 35-34 on a third-quarter 3-pointer by Sophie Guelde.Led by Karsyn Erford, O-G rallied as well. After losing the lead, the Titans outscored Patrick Henry 27-16 the rest of the way.Erford pumped in 20 points for O-G, 5-0. Kasey Nelson scored 15 points and Ada Christman had 11 points and six rebounds for Patrick Henry (5-1). SHELBY 57U. SANDUSKY 42UPPER SANDUSKY – Shelby answered Upper Sandusky's challenge with an 11-0 third-quarter run and went on to beat the Rams 51-42.Upper Sandusky trimmed a 31-21 halftime deficit to just four points before Shelby's 11-0 surge restored a cushion.Ohio Dominican recruit Eve Schwemley, a senior guard, poured in 30 points as Shelby won its third straight and improved to 6-1. Upper Sandusky slipped to 4-3. Girls wrestlingCLYDE – Findlay's Kate Simmons and Liberty-Benton's Evie Parmelee won individual titles on Sunday at the Clyde Invitational.Simons, wrestling in the 170-pound class, pinned Fostoria's Ariana Espinosa-Snowden in 50 seconds in the semifinals, then blanked Napoleon's Martina Ebaugh 5-0 in the championship[ match.Parmelee claimed the title at 235 with a pair of pins, the first over Findlay's Natalie Winas (3:50) in the semifinals, the second (1:48) over Tamrah Szucs of Parma Normandy in the final.Gibsonburg (168.0) topped Elyria (136.0) for the team title in the 52-school event. Findlay was 11th (75.0), Liberty-Benton 18th (47.0), Fostoria 27th (27.0) and Van Buren 42nd (10.0). Columbus Grove (3.0), Hopewell-Loudon (3.0) and Riverdale also had wrestlers compete in the event.Following their semifinal losses, Espinosa-Snowden (170) went to place third and Winans (235) was fourth in their weight divisions. SCHEDULE Tuesday's EventsBOYS BASKETBALLAnthony Wayne at Findlay (NLL)Ada at New KnoxvilleElmwood at Liberty CenterRidgedale at VanlueWillard at CareyBluffton at Paulding GIRLS BASKETBALLColumbus Grove at KalidaCarey at RiverdaleVan Buren at BlufftonMiller City at Leipsic (PCL)Kenton at Liberty-BentonAyersville at McCombOtsego at Fostoria (NBC) PREP SWIMMINGMarion Harding at Findlay