FHS girls third, boys fourth at NLL Championships

CROSS COUNTRY NLL MEETFREMONT – Findlay High's girls placed third in the Buckeye Division and the boys team was fourth in Saturday's Northern Lakes League meet in Fremont.Russell Stine IV and Cam Stechschulte had Findlay's top finishes of the day, with Stine placing fourth overall in the Buckeye Division boys race in 15:53.8 and Stechschulte coming in sixth in 16:14.6. Tyler Strabley was 19th (17:23.3), Lucas Parnell 21st (17:45.3) and Andrew Custer 28th (18:33.8) for Findlay's 78 point total. Anthony Wayne (35) edged Perrysburg (39) for the team title,Natalie Gutman led Findlay's girl, finishing seventh overall with a time of 19:42.3. Abanna Dotson was 15th (20:49.3) and Kayla Moyer 17th (20:53.0). Gabby Brankamp (21:23.6), Megan Guthrie (21:24.5) and Raia Koomen (21:3376) finished as a pack in 20th, 21st and 22nd place.With league championships in the books cross country runners will now begin the journey that leads to the state meet on Nov. 1 at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz.On Saturday, Division II, III and IV races will again be held at the Owens Community College site in Findlay. Columbus Grove will host Division III and IV meets as well. BVC MEETMOUNT BLANCHARD – Liberty-Benton's boys cross country team made its last appearance in the Blanchard Valley Conference meet a triumphant one, placing five runners among the top 13 placers in claiming a seventh straight league championship.Liberty-Benton, which will be moving from the BVC to the Cardinal Division of the Northern Lakes League next year, finished well ahead of the pack with 35 points. Elmwood (61) edged Van Buren (63) for runner-up honors, followed by Riverdale (102), Pandora-Gilboa (131) and Leipsic (136) among the schools fielding full teams.The four-team BVC girls meet was closer. Elmwood (41) won the 2025 BVC title, with Liberty-Benton (51), Van Buren (57) and Riverdale (61) battling for second.L-B's Aiden Lee, fourth in the BVC met a year ago, ran a time of 15:39.04 as the 2025 boys individual champion.A veteran team, L-B had four seniors and a junior complete their meet-winning score. Following Lee, a senior, were junior Cohen Levenhagen in fourth (16:36.26) and seniors Lane Fannin (16:40.84), Hudson Day (17:16.14) and Bryce Hans (17:27.08) placing fifth, 12th and 13th.Henry Good, a freshman, led Elmwood with a time of 16:33.79 and was third in the overall standings. The Royals bunched their next runners well, with Gavin Minich finishing tenth (17:04.42), Trever Shaffer 15th (17:29.47), Dylan Armentrout 16th (17:29.82) and Gavin Reinhart 17th (17:30.83).Carter Finley (16:44.39) and Carter Fry (16:49.16) were sixth and seventh overall for Van Buren. Griffin Ware was 11th (17:13.72), Andrew Puperi 18th (17:37.54) and Colin Treece 21st (18:01.89).Kolten Evans and Gabe Donaldson paced Riverdale, with Evans (15:48.80) the meet runner-up to L-B's Lee and Donaldson placing ninth (16:58.88).Seniors Adam (20th, 17:54.96) and Jack Buell (22nd, 18:05.44) led Pandora-Gilboa, while Leipsic got a top-20 finish from Calvin Miller (8th, 16:56.03).Elmwood had four runners in the top ten, including individual meet champion Janessa Childress with a time of 19:56.29, in winning the girls team title.Grace Morgart was fifth overall (21:18.70), Reagan Delmarte seventh (22:12.58) and Mackayla Casey tenth (22:48.21). Alayna Beasley was 18th (24:02.25).Two Liberty-Benton runners were right behind Childress in the girls 5,000-meter race, with Claire McDaniel second (20:58.05) and Josie Kern, a freshman, third (21:11.52). Saraphina Bouaphakeo was 13th (23:17.85), Ava Ellerbrock 16th (23:47.55) and Evelyn Checki 17th (23:54.54) for L-B.Van Buren got top ten placings from Darby Poling (4th, 21:12.81) and Grace Harrington (8th, 22:25. 28).Riverdale's Gwen Bucher (21:56.11) was sixth overall and Addie Manns (22:47.94) was ninth.OTHER GIRLS RESULTSVAN BUREN – 12, Kate Schroeder (23:07.79); 14, Ashleigh Doyle (23:23.83); 19, Taylor Smith (24:29.36).RIVERDALE – 11, Lexi Dailey (22:53.86); 15, Ava Brooks (23:36.75); 20, Lauren McBride (24:39.73).LEIPSIC – 21, Elliannah Hiegel (24:50.34).PANDORA-GILBOA – 22, Elizabeth Knueven (25:09.02).MCCOMB – 26, Lana Lause (25:44.13). OTHER BOYS RESULTSRIVERDALE – 25, Giovanni Noascono (18:47.31); 34, Ethan Spitnale (19:47.90); 44, Mike Penwell (21:29.58).PANDORA-GILBOA – 26 Anthony Giesige (19:04.82); 32, Eli Hilty (19:45.06); 37, Austin Giesige (20:20.65).LEIPSIC – 28, David Garcia (19:16.07); 30, Carson Schroeder (19:32.52); 39, Kash Walther (20:24.39);48, Alex Niese (22:18.22). N10 MEETATTICA – Upper Sandusky won the girls title and was second in the boys division of the Northern 10 Conference meet hosted by Seneca East.Jocelyn Leightey (20:16.23) and Madison Miles (20:48.95) finished second and third overall and Abigail Ault (6th, 21:04.25), Shiloh Shasteen (7th, 21:14.65) and Macie Clark (9th, 21:32.94) all cracked the top ten as Upper won the girls title with 27 points. Seneca East (45) was second and Carey third (77) among the five schools fielding full teams.Carey's Ellianna Arnold (10th, (21:36.07) and Elysa Holsinger (12th, 21:45.58) led the Blue Devils.In the boys race, Upper's Carter Pohlman (16:58.04) was fifth overall, one spot ahead of teammate Andrew Leightey (6th, 17:11.25). Henry Minehart (12th, 17:32.55), Franklin Arnold (14th, 17:39.48) and Bryce Weyand (19th, 18:24.33) were top-20 placers as well.Carey's Riley Miller was 20th overall (18:29.73) for the Blue Devils, who were fifth in the boys team standings,OTHER GIRLS RESULTSCAREY – 15, Gracie Luhring (22:05.14); 20, Kinsey Motter (22:31.46); 23, Jaelyn Tong (23:08.58).OTHER BOYS RESULTSCAREY –25, Brylon Middleton (19:05.68); 32, Oliver Sidor (19:43.59); 35, Owen Sidor (20:11.16); 40, Carter Hall (20:36.11). WBL MEET VAN WERT – Celina ended Ottawa-Glandorf's three-year reign atop the girls standings and Defiance won the boys title at the Western Buckeye League cross country meet on Saturday.Maci Maag was sixth in her race (19:35.50) in leading O-G's girls to a second-place finish behind Celina in the team standings. O-G's boys team placed sixth.Brea Recker was tenth (20:00.40) and Alivia Schroeder 11th (20:08.70) for O-G's girls. The boys team got a runner-up finish from Cooper Fischer (16:12.80).OTHER GIRLS RESULTSOTTAWA-GLANDORF – 17, Carly Siefker (20:23.60); 18, Izzy Utendorf (20:38.70).OTHER BOYS RESULTSOTTAWA-Glandorf – 31, Ethan Weis (18:05.80); 37, Gage Recker (18:22.60); 40, Carter Vorst (18:43.20); 41, Ty Baxter (18:44.30). NWC MEET COLUMBUS GROVE – Columbus Grove won the girls title and was second in the boys standings of the 2025 Northwest Conference cross country meet.Grove (36) held off Lincolnview (40) in the four-school girls meet, with Convoy Crestview third (74) and Bluffton (86) fourth.Crestview (24) dethroned Columbus Grove (31) in the boys meet, followed by Lincolnview (72), Allen East (126) and Bluffton (128).Seniors Lily Montgomery and Sarah Kamphaus placed third (19:50.40) and fourth (19:56.80) in leading Grove's girls team. Alexa Kamphaus (7th, 20:51.00) and Claire Koch (8th, 21:06.80) added top ten placings as well.Freshman Tessa Tarplee (9th, 21:41.30) and senior Lydia Tarplee (15th, 22:42.90) led Bluffton.In the boys 5,000-meter race, Grove's Holden Hartzog (15:51.80) was a close second to Crestview's Lincoln Smith (15:50.20) in the individual standings.Four other Grove runners – Caiden Squillante (4th, 16:26.90), Zack Bryan (6th, 16:29.30), Aiden Vogt (9th, 16:52.90) and Braylon Best (10th, 17:05.60) – cracked the top ten, but Crestview's top five all finished eighth or better.Atticus Prothro (20th, 18:30.90) and Toby Clevidence (21st, 18:37.50) led Bluffton. OTHER GIRLS RESULTSCOLUMBUS GROVE – 14, Dakota Dunn (22:40.90).BLUFFTON – 19, Zaeda Hermiller (23:25.40); 21, Elizabeth Honse (24:10.70); 22, Tala Gipson (26:18.70). OTHER BOYS RESULTSBLUFFTON – 28, Levin Essinger (19:43.40); 29, Liam Moore (20:41.30); 30, Micah DeMarco (20:43.20). NWCC MEETWAYNESFIELD – Hardin Northern had no runners finish among the top six but the Polar Bears depth and balance paid off after that in earning them the boys title at the Northwest Central Conference cross country meet.Treysen Eibling placed seventh (19:01.00) and Luke Price and Riley Newton tied for eighth (19:04.90) in the boys race. Evan Camper was 17th (20:22.90) and Jake Cook 18th (20:23.80) for Hardin Northern's 59-point total. Ridgedale (72) edged Cory-Rawson (76) for second. North Baltimore was fifth (89).Wyatt Foust was third overall (17:32.60) for Cory-Rawson and Micah Benedict (18:26.90) was sixth.Camden McCartney (19:11.00) was tenth and Daniel Hinkle 11th (19:11.60) for North Baltimore.Only two NWCC schools – North Baltimore (19 points) and Waynesfield-Goshen (37) – fielded full girls teams.Ady Reynolds (20:36.60) and Maddie Stufft (21:35.70) were the first two runners across the finish line in the girls race and Evelyn Thompson (22:55.70) was fifth. Cory-Rawson's Libby Kempf was third overall (21:55.40). OTHER BOYS RESULTS.CORY-RAWSON – 19, Jadyn Sammet (20:24.20); 23, Andrew Kitner (21:33.90); 25, Nathan Gregorowicz (21:39.70).NORTH BALTIMORE – 13, Garrett Williams (19:31.10); 21, Levi Vanlerberg (20:41.50); 24, Braiden Zapp (21:37.80). OTHER GIRLS RESULTSNORTH BALTIMORE –7, Rylee Fennell (23:23.80); 8, Lindsay Crouse (25:45.20).CORY-RAWSON – 17, Ayla Fought (26:20.40); 20, Asia Boehm (27:22.10).HARDIN NORTHERN – 13, Kalie Couch (25:28.70).