Led by two top-four standout runners, the Bluffton boys squad finished a solid 10th at the 20-team Div. III state cross country meet late Saturday morning, November 5, at Fortress Obetz.
Pirate senior Landon Armstrong crossed the finish line third out of 185 runners in 15:55.3 to pace the red and white in his last race.
Bluffton senior teammate Erik Nygaard finished right behind him in fourth at 15:59.2.
The speedy Pirate duo finished higher than any other tandem in the meet.
Brylan Holland of East Canton won the boys state crown with a time of 15:41.7, followed by Rittman's Luke Snyder in second at 15:50.8.
What a game. In a rematch between the two Blanchard Valley Conference rivals, #9 seeded Pandora-Gilboa Rockets traveled to #1 seeded McComb Panthers, in the Division VII region 26, second round playoff matchup, which didn’t disappoint.
The Bluffton High School boys cross country team will be returning to the OHSAA finals at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 5 at Fortress Obetz, south of Columbus.
Cross country coach Bill Theisen told the Icon that team is ready to run its best times. “We really plan for peaking at regionals and holding that to state.”
Twenty teams with seven runners and many individuals will compete, creating a field of 300 or more runners. Theisen explained, “If you want to do well, you’ve got to get out pretty fast. It’s a lot like regionals because that has 200 runners.”
TIFFIN--Bluffton High School boys finished a strong fifth in the 22-team Div. III regional cross country meet Saturday, October 29, at Tiffin to advance the Pirate harriers to the state meet at Obetz next Saturday.
The top-seeded Bluffton High School girls soccer team dominated play and led for 60 minutes, but ended up losing a 2-1 double overtime battle to visiting nemesis Riverdale in the Div. III district final match at Steinmetz Field on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
The Pirate girls end their season 16-3 with the defeat on the cloudless, 66-degree day. The stunning finish ended their 10-match win streak, which started ironically after a 1-0 loss to the Lady Falcons September 10.
In the final minutes of a scoreless Div. III district final battle Saturday night, the Bluffton High School boys soccer team gave up a penalty kick goal and lost 1-0 to visiting Mansfield Christian under the lights on a cool but wind-less Saturday evening, October 29, at Steinmetz Field.
The Pirate season finished at 10-7-2 after the difficult defeat. The third-seeded Flames improved to 15-6-1 following the hard-fought road win.
