By Cort Reynolds
SPENCERVILLE__The Bluffton High School cross country teams competed at the annual Northwest Conference championship meet in Spencerville on a wet and 53-degree Saturday, October 14.
GIRLS
Junior June Essinger finished a strong sixth in the 45-runner girls field to record the top Lady Pirate showing.
Lincolnview captured the four-team girls league title easily, with Columbus Grove a distant second. Bluffton came in third, one point ahead of Crestview.
Sophomore Brynleigh Moody of Lincolnview won the girls NWC title in a time of 19:22.2.
Bluffton High School girls finishes
Place Runner Class Time
6 June Essinger 11 21:39.6
10 Ella Armstrong 12 22:03.1
19 Amairi Painter 12 24:20.1
32 Kaelin Weissling 12 26:12.1
39 Alayna Mueller 10 28:41.2
40 Faith Combs 11 29:11.5
Girls NWC team results
1) Lincolnview - 22 points
2) Columbus Grove - 54
3) Bluffton - 81
Total time: 2:02:56.10 Average Pirate time: 24:35.22
4) Crestview - 82
BOYS
In the boys competition, Grove edged Lincolnview 28-33 to claim the league title.
Senior Luke Ellerbrock of Columbus Grove won the boys race in 16:05.2.
The Pirate boys had three runners compete, two shy of the five required for a team score.
Junior Levi Fenzil finished 11th out of 63 runners in 17:29.7 to post the top Pirate showing.
Bluffton freshman Owen Shoemaker came home 40th in 20:18.3.
Freshman Adam Fritsch ended up 48th in a time of 21:48.0.
Boys NWC team results
1) Columbus Grove - 28 points
2) Lincolnview - 33
3) Crestview - 81
4) Leipsic - 112
5) Spencerville - 144
6) Allen East - 168
