Bollenbacher, Haynes reach semis at FIGHT

GIRLS WRESTLINGFindlay High's Julia Bollenbacher and McKenna Hanes battled their way into the semifinals and four other FHS wrestlers remain in the consolation rounds after the first day of the Findlay Invitational Girls High School Tournament (FIGHT) being held at the University of Findlay's Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex.Bollenbacher and Hanes went undefeated in Friday's matches with three pins each. Bollenbacher, following a first-round bye, scored three straight pins to advance to the semifinals of the 170-pound division.Hanes also pinned all three of her opponents in the 235 division.Audrey Whitener (140), Dhani McCray (155), Connelly West (170) and Natalie Winans (235) are looking to make the final podium as well.Whitener lost her second-round match, but used a pin and two decisions to move on in the tournament. McCray, West and Winans all had two pin each in rebounding from losses and advancing.The final round of the fourth annual event, which has brought together 81 teams and 621 wrestlers from many of the top girls programs in the state and around the country, will be held today. HOCKEY FINDLAY 2SHAKER HTS. 1PARMA – Hayden Jerew scored the winning goal off an assist from Jackson Biggs with 5:14 left in the game to give Findlay High's hockey team a 2-1 win over Shaker Heights in the opening game of the Padua Franciscan Tournament on Friday.Draven Wilson put Findlay on the board with 1:45 left in the first period. Solid defense and goal-tending by both teams kept it a one-goal game until Shaker Heights' Cole Richard tied it midway through the third period.Patrick Shively stopped 13 of 14 shots in goal for Findlay. The Trojans, 5-6, will face Walsh at 9 a.m. and Padua at 1:50 p.m. in today's matchups. COLLEGE FOOTBALL Findlay grads are all-AmericanFrom all-league standouts in high school to all-American recognition in college two former Findlay High football players have etched their names among the elite in the game.Luke Montgomery, who became Ohio State's starter at left guard the final two games of the Buckeyes' national championship season a year ago, has been named second-team all-America by the American Football Coaches Association, one of five publications used to recognize consensus All-American honors.University of Findlay senior Sam Weihrauch, the middle linebacker in the University of Findlay's Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and playoff qualifying team, was also named second-team all-America by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).Weihrauch had earlier been named D2CCA all-region and the GMAC Defensive Player of the Year. In 12 games, he had 45 solo tackles and 80 total stops, including 17.5 tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. GYMNASTICS Findlay High's gymnastics team, a deep and experienced group with plenty of young talent in the wings, swings into action this weekend when the Trojans kick off their 2025-26 season Sunday with a dual match at Perrysburg against the reigning Northern Lakes League champion Yellow Jackets.On Monday, the Trojans host Anthony Wayne, the only other team that finished ahead of Findlay in last year's league championship meet.Graduation cost FHS coach Traci Dunn one of her top gymnasts in Gabrielle Doering, a second-team all-NLL placer. Allison Niederkohr, who also competed in the NLL meet, graduated as well.In juniors Renee Metzger and Josey Weihrauch, though, Dunn has two elite competitors back.Metzger was the 2025 NLL Gymnast of the Year as a sophomore, placing seventh or higher on all four apparatus and winning the all-around title with 33.900 points.Weihrauch was the NLL individual champion on the uneven bars (8.550), added a fifth-place finish on vault (8.300) and was third (33.000) in the all-around scoring.Weihrauch also qualified for state in the all-around competition, placing 35th overall with a score of 33.000.A third junior with extensive varsity experience also returns in Lily Huff. Huff competed in all four apparatus at the NLL meet and finished 17th in the all-around standings (28.700).Alayna Benton, who also competed in last year's NLL meet, and Sofia Perdomo Perez are the seniors on this year's roster, with Metzger, Weihrauch and Huff the juniors.Dunn has two sophomores on the roster in Alexa Lehman, who was part of last year's NLL lineup, and Keira Betts. They are backed up by a large freshman group that includes Bella Greer, Callie Jordan, Hannah Kin, Bella Lonaker and Avalon Sprang.Following some early seasons duals, Findlay will test its skills against some of the top gymnasts in Northwest Ohio and around the state in meets like the Beauty and the Beast event the Trojans will host on Jan. 10, the Wolfpack Invitational hosted by Worthington Kilbourne on Jan. 17, and the Noah's Ninjas Invitational hosted by Perrysburg in mid-January. The NLL meet will be held Feb. 20. Local Sports Friday's Results GIRLS PREP BOWLINGU. SANDUSKY 2,017L-BENTON 1,985High game: (L-B) Madison Teders 176 (US) Aleah McCann 186. High series: (L-B) Adrian Cottrell 332. (US) McCann 335. Schedule Saturday's EventsPREP HOCKEYPadua Franciscan TournamentFindlay vs. Walsh, 9 a.m.Findlay vs. Padua, 1:50 p.m. BOYS BASKETBALLFindlay vs. Wapakoneta in NLL/WBL Challenge at DefianceOttawa-Glandorf vs. Bowling Green at DefianceAda at Cory-RawsonHardin Northern at ArcadiaLiberty-Benton at CelinaNorth Baltimore at CrestlineBluffton at KentonNew Riegel at CareySandusky Perkins at FostoriaMiller City at McCombUpper Scioto Valley at Pandora-Gilboa GIRLS BASKETBALLSt. Marys Memorial at FindlayContinental at AdaPandora-Gilboa at Hardin NorthernLeipsic at Columbus Grove (PCL)McComb at Fort JenningsVanlue at North BaltimoreCarey at Seneca East (N10)Wynford at Upper Sandusky (N10)Kenton at Bluffton PREP SWIMMINGFindlay at Northwest Ohio Invite GIRLS WRESTLINGFIGHT Tournament at Findlay High Sunday's EventsPREP HOCKEYFindlay at Padua Franciscan Tournament PREP GYMNASTICSFindlay at Perrysburg BOYS BASKETBALLArlington vs. Columbus CC at Indian Lake