Findlay's Stine, Stechschulte qualify for state

YOUNGSTOWN – Findlay High's boys cross country team fell two spots short of qualifying for state, but two members of the team will be advancing after Saturday's competition at the Division I regional meet held at Youngstown Boardman High School.Junior Russell Stine IV and Cam Stechschulte, a sophomore, will be running in the Division state meet Saturday at Fortress Obetz & Memorial Park in Obetz. Stine was ninth overall in the region with a time of 16:16.6. Stechschulte ran a 16:34.1 and was 17th.The top six boys and girls teams qualified for state, along with the top 12 individual runners not on advancing teams.Findlay's Lucas Parnell was 54th overall (17:19.0), Tyler Strabley was 61st (17:24.2) and Andrew Custer 91st (18:28.8) for Findlay's 232-point total. Perrysburg (57) nipped Mentor (58) by one point for the regional team championship.Findlay's girls placed 12th in the 18-team Division I girls meet.Natalie Gutman, the lone senior among Findlay's top five runners, was 43rd overall with a time of 20:28.2. Juniors Abanna Dotson (21:16.4) and Kayla Moyer (21:18.6) were 64th and 65th respectively, freshman Raia Koomen was 68th (21:39.6) and sophomore Gabby Brankamp was 78th (21:59.5). DIVISION III BOYSTIFFIN – Three Liberty-Benton runners finished among the top six on Saturday when the Eagles captured the boys team championship of the Division III regional cross country meet at Tiffin.Aiden Lee, one of L-B's top runners at last year's state meet, led the Eagles again, placing second overall with a time of 15:42.97. Jackson Hochstettler was fifth (16:19.88) and Bryce Hans sixth (16:23.89). Cohen Levenhagen (16th, 16:49.82) and Hudson Day (29th, 17:13.70) completed L-B's 58-point team total. Bryan was a distant second with 90.The top four boys teams and top eight individual times automatically qualified for the state meet. Upper Sandusky just missed advancing in the team category, placing fifth in the final standings. Ottawa-Glandorf was 13th, but will be represented at state by Cooper Fischer, who was fourth across the finish line in 16:16.20.Also advancing to state is Upper's Carter Pohlman, who as 12th overall in 16:38.93. Upper's Andrew Leightey was 24th overall (17:06.89), Henry Minehart was 34th (17:22.24() and Franklin Arnold was 37th (17:28.45). DIVISION III GIRLSTIFFIN – Ottawa-Glandorf finished second in the Division III girls regional at Tiffin and led a heated race for one of the to five qualifying positions for next week's state meet.Huron (41 points) dominated the Division III girls meet. O-G was second with 119 points, edging Napoleon (128), Archbold (131) and Van Wert (138) for runner-up honors.Upper Sandusky was sixth (232) in a field where only the top five teams advance. The Rams' Jocelyn Leightey did land one of 10 qualifying spots for individuals from non-advancing teams, finishing 15th with a time of 19:59.0.Maci Maag led O-G's girls, finishing tenth overall with a time of 19:33.4. Izzy Utendorf was 21st (20:10.0), Brea Recker 24th (20:19.6) and Carly Siefker 26th (20:27.4). Kayt Croy (38th, 20:59.9) completed O-G's scoring.Rounding out Upper's team total were Abigail Ault (35th, 20:53.5), Madison Miles (46th, 21:08.7), Macie Clark (60th, 21:59.4) and Shiloh Shasteen (76th, 22:38.0),Claire McDaniel (53rd, 21:36.2) and Saraphina Bouaphakeo (88th, 23:00.0) were Liberty-Benton's top runners in the regional. Elmwood's Janessa Childress was 15th overall (20:07.5) but fell just short of an individual bid to state. Elmwood's Grace Morgart was 59th (21:56.0). DIVISION IV BOYSTIFFIN – Columbus Grove was a close second and Van Buren placed eighth to clinch the final team advancing spot at the Division IV boys regional cross country meet in Tiffin.With five runners returning from last year's state qualifying team, Columbus Grove finished with 87 points on Saturday, a close second to Convoy Crestview (82) in the team standings.Caden Squillante led Grove, finishing fourth overall with a time of 15:55.45. Holden Hartzog (16:18.68) was 12th and Aidan Vogt (16:33.65) 19th, with two other state-meet veterans – Zack Bryan (24th, 16:43.92) and Braylon Best (28th, 16:50.30) – completing their score.Van Buren's Carter Fry was 26th (16:44.54), Carter Finley was 44th (17:15.83) and Griffin Ware was 52nd (17:24.25). Andrew Puperi (17:36.55) was 64th and Colin Treece (123rd, 18:21.83) rounded out a 309 team total that allowed the Black Knights to beat out Huron (317), Elmwood (325) and New Riegel (325) for one of the top eight spots that automatically qualify for state.Riverdale's Kolten Evans will be returning to state as well after finishing third overall with a time of 15:53.32. Leipsic's Calvin Miller landed advancement as an individual as well by posting a time of 16:49.99.Hopewell-Loudon's Ian Bloom (45th, 17:05.86), Elmwood's Gavin Minich (54th, 17:16.96) and Henry Good (75th, 17:28.89) and Pandora-Gilboa's Adam Buell (68th, 17:27.76) led their teams. DIVISION V GIRLS TIFFIN – Columbus Grove punched its team ticket to state while Carey fell one spot short in the Division IV girls regional cross country meet at Hedges Boyer Park.Led by a 13th-place finish by Lily Montgomery (19:36.68) and Sarah Kamphaus (19th, 20:00.04), Grove finished the girls meet with 209 points. Ashland Crestview (336) was ninth to claim to last of the automatic bids to state. Carey had 413 points.Alexa Kamphaus (36th, 20:35.94), Claire Koch (56th, 21:21.03) and Lauren Martz (85th, 22:01.94) completed Grove's team scoring. Elysa Holsinger (52nd, 21:16.80) and Ellianna Arnold (65th, 21:36.26) led Carey.Three area runners placed high enough to qualify for state with one of the top 18 times by individuals not on advancing teams, including Patrick Henry's Mia Amador, who was 11th in the overall standings (19:27.12), along with North Baltimore's Ady Reynolds (20:05.27) and Maddie Stufft (20:28,51).Cory-Rawson's Libby Kempf was 52nd (20:55.11), Riverdale's Gwen Bucher was 61st (21:15.48), Van Buren's Darby Poling was 68th (21:24.27) and Hopewell-Loudon's Kara Wyman was 71st (21:27.19).