Crestview edges Columbus Grove boys for D-IV crown

DIVISION IV OBETZ – The boys cross country teams of Columbus Grove and Convoy Crestview started their little backyard rivalry back in August …. and took it all the way to the state championships.League rivals in the Northwest Conference and head-to-head title contenders in almost every meet they both appeared in, Crestview and Grove battled it out one last time to cap the 2025 season. Crestview edged Grove in the final matchup, winning the Division IV state title Saturday with 86 points. Grove, Ohio's Division III state champion in 2023, was a close second in the 24-school field with 99.Grove had the edge in the early matchups, beating out Crestview to win titles in the Columbus Grove Invitational and Lancer Invite. Crestview nipped Grove 24-31 to win the Northwest Conference crown, but Grove flipped the script to top Crestview a week later in the district meet.Crestview regained bragging rights by edging Grove 82-87 in the regional meet, and again in Saturday's state championships.Grove got all-Ohio placings from Caden Squillante (11th, 16:04.64) and Holden Hartzog (21st, 16:10.44) in Saturday's meet at Fortress Obetz. Aidan Vogt was 39th (16:34.64), Zack Bryan 44th (16:40.46) and Braylon Best 79th (17:00.72).Van Buren, making a first-ever appearance in the state meet team standings, was 15th in the final scoring. Carter Fry was 83rd (17:06.37) and Griffin Ware was 91st (17:14.62) overall in leading the Black Knights. Carter Finley (100th, 17:21.55), Andrew Puperi (109th, 17:23.83) and Colin Treece (188th, 18:41.38) completed Van Burn's scoring.Riverdale's Kolten Evans also had an all-Ohio showing at state, placing 20th overall with a time of 16:07.83. Leipsic's Calvin Miller was 107th (17:23.15).In Saturday's Division IV girl meet, Columbus Grove's Lily Montgomery placed 38th overall in a time of 19:45.06 in leading the Bulldogs to a 16th-place finish.Sarah Kamphaus was 81st (20:29.17) for the Bulldogs, with Alexa Kamphaus (126th, 21:16.99), Claire Koch (147th, 21:42.25) and Lauren Martz (158th, 21:57.44) rounding out Grove's team total.Patrick Henry's Mia Amador was 31st (19:34.01) among runners qualifying for state as individuals. North Baltimore had two state placers in Ady Reynolds (50th, 19:58.56) and Maddie Stufft (96th, 20:41.25). DIVISION IOBETZ – Findlay High's Russell Stine IV and Cam Stechschulte turned in two of their better times of the season competing against an elite field of runners during Saturday's Division I state meet at Fortress Obetz.Stine, a junior, posted a time of 16:17.80 in placing 55th in a field of over 180 runners. It was just off his time of 16:16.68 he ran in regional qualifying for the state meet.Stechschulte, who ran a regional time of 16:34.05, posted a time of 16:33,27 on Saturday and was 91st overall. DIVISION III OBETZ – Liberty-Benton's Aiden Lee capped his cross country career with an all-Ohio performance at the 2025 Division III boys state championship meet held at Fortress Obetz & Memorial Park on Saturday.Lee, one of four L-B seniors whose placings compiled the Eagles' eighth-place finish in the team standings, was 12th overall with a time of 15:40.05. Bryce Hans (16:31.31) was 50th, Jackson Hochstettler (16:50.50) was 85th, Cohen Levenhagen (16:59.50) was 99th, and Lane Fannin (17:17.51) was 130th,Two area runners qualified for the state meet as individuals, with Ottawa-Glandorf's Cooper Fischer finishing 45th (16:29.77) in the Division III boys race and Upper Sandusky's Carter Pohlman 118h (1:10.14) in a field of over 200 runners.Ottawa-Glandorf placed tenth in the Division III girls standings.Maci Maag was 47th overall (19:32.26), Brea Recker was 84th (20:13.20) and Carly Siefker was 87th (20:15.58). Kayt Croy (108th, 20:32.94) and Izzy Utendorf (142nd, 21:10.330 rounded out the Titans scoring.Upper Sandusky's Jocelyn Leightey was 57th overall (19:50.05) in the Division III girls race.