Black Knights prevail in BVC Pre-Season Tourney

FINDLAY – Picking up right where it left off last season, Van Buren got a medalist effort from Jake Schroeder and had three players break 80 in winning the Blanchard Valley Conference Pre-Season Tournament held at the Findlay Country Club on Monday.Schroeder, a junior who placed 11th in the medalist standings in leading Van Buren to a runner-up finish in the 2024 Division III state tournament, carded a 73 on the FCC layout to lead all scorers. Ben Heitkamp and Cole Bishop, two other state placers on a Van Buren team that posted the best second-day score (334-302—636) and almost caught Cleveland JFK (634) in the team standings, shot rounds of 77 and 78 respectively. Ian Wilhelm's 85 completed Van Buren's 313 total. Liberty-Benton (335) was runner-up behind Andrew Tomlinson's 77 and Jackson Knepper's 84.Leipsic's Brevin Brandt fired a 76 and Reagan Wenzinger added a 79 in leading Leipsic (359) to a third-place finish. Andrew Hittle added a 98 for the Vikings and Zac Lammers and Leo Carrillo posted scores of 106.Elmwood was fourth (365) in the 10-school field. Zachariah Patterson led the Royals with an 84, Ryken Ziegler and Jamie Clark both had 92s and finishing Marshall Taft and Mason Wiener both shot 97.Monday's tournament was the first of three that will determine the 2025 BVC champion in boys golf. A mid-season tournament will be held Aug. 18 at Hidden Creek Golf Club, with the final set for Sept. 19 at Moose Landing in Kalida.Complete results of the event were unavailable at press time. LADY TROJANARLINGTON – Findlay finished fifth and Van Buren got a school-record performance from Addyson Adams in placing seventh in the Lady Trojan Invitational held at Arlington's Sycamore Springs Golf Course on Monday.Findlay bunched its scores in posting a 381 team total. Josey Weihrauch led the Trojans with an 89, Brynn Wells carded a 96, Lainey Ricker added a 97 and a 99 from Claire White rounded out the FHS total.Adams won a five-hole playoff with Anthony Wayne's Sophia Stanton and took tournament medalist honors with a 75. That also broke by one stroke Van Buren's 18-hole school record held by Claire Recker.Lauren Hibbard added a 96 for Van Buren and Andrea Groman and Peyton Griffin both shot 107. The Black Knights, coming off a fifth straight appearance and an eighth-place finish in the Division II state tournament, had a 385 team total.Anthony Wayne dominated the 14-school meet with a 334 score. Archbold was second, edging Wynford on a fifth-player scorecard playoff after both teams carded 369s. Ontario was fourth (375), with Findlay rounding out the top five. ELKS INVITEBUCYRUS – Upper Sandusky's Toby Holman was second in the medalist standings in leading the Rams to a fifth-place finish on Monday in the Elks Invitational Golf Tournament held at the Golf Club of Bucyrus.Holman, a freshman, carded a 79 and tied two other golfers with that total. Seth Smith shot an 85, Sam Gibson a 90 and Arden Stansbery a 93 for Upper's 348 team total.River Valley (336) edged Ontario (338) and Colonel Crawford (338) for first place in the 12-school field. Galion (346) nipped Upper Sandusky for fourth. NWCC MEET 1HARROD – Hardin Northern posted a 443 team score at the Colonial Golfers Club on Monday and placed sixth in the first Northwest Central Conference league tournament of the 2025 season.Xaviour Emerine (103) and Cody Thiel (105) were the Polar Bears top players.OTHER SCORESHARDIN NORTHERN – Kylie Lenhart 117, Wesley Linke 118. JV INVITATIONALARLINGTON – Gavin Wells and Bryce Frost shot matching 89sto lead Findlay in the Flag City Junior Varsity Invitational at Sycamore Springs Golf Course. Gabe Sterling added a 93 and Leland Watson a 97 for the Trojans. LOCAL SPORTS Monday's ResultsBOYS GOLFLINCOLNVIEW 166COL. GROVE 167LIMA C.C. 185MEDALIST: Dalton Hyman, Columbus Grove, Bosten Bailey, Lincolnview, 39. SCHEDULE Tuesday's Events BOYS GOLFFindlay at Marysville InvitationalAllen East Invitational at Colonial Golf CourseVan Buren at Nashport, Ohio GIRLS GOLFVan Buren, New Riegel at Fostoria Country Club