The greatest Pirate basketball game I ever witnessed in an away game was against Liberty-Benton on February 12, 2000. LB was 17-0 and ranked 3d in the state. Bluffton had a talented team that was 16-2 and led by 6 ft-7 in Kyle Lowry and Michael Kingsley, who still holds the record (1,162) for most points scored in school history. Coach Rich Shaner said the team had a good previous season and had high expectations for the 1999-2000 season. The experienced team had strong guard play, post play also, and there was good balance on the scoring. The team was speedy, quick, and could shoot well both in the paint or outside the 3-point line.
The game was played on a Saturday night. Twenty-four hours earlier, Bluffton defeated Crestview to win the Northwest Conference Championship outright with a 10-0 record. On that same Friday night LB had won a tough game as well. LB was strong on their home court and was favored. The Pirates had other ideas.
VAN BUREN - The youthful Bluffton High School wrestling team won the 17-team Div. III sectional team title Saturday at Van Buren as a whopping five Pirates finished first in their respective weight classes.
Three of the Pirate champions are freshmen, while the other two are sophomores.
Bluffton claimed the crown with 175.5 points. Mohawk was second with 166, followed by Columbus Grove (136) and Carey (132).
Freshman Ronald Kaufman won the 106 lbs. title., and fellow freshman Alex Nance took first in the 113 lbs. division. Sophomore Branden Cross captured the 120 lbs. class crown.
Freshman Hephaestion Weyer took first in the 126 lbs. division. Sophomore Mason Shank dominated his competition to win the heavyweight crown.
Junior Evan Grothause took second at the 190 lbs. bracket. Senior Jett Blackburn was fourth at 150.
A top-four finish at sectionals in any weight class confers district qualification. Thus the seven aforementioned Pirates will compete in the Div. III district meet at Rossford February 28-March 1.
CANTON – Bluffton High School junior Jackson Bowlus finished sixth at the 100-yard backstroke consolation finals in the state Div. II meet at Canton’s C.T. Branin Natatorium Friday, February 21.
Bowlus ended up 14th overall in the 100 backstroke at state with a time of 53.57 Friday night. He improved his time by .21 in the B Finals over his preliminary heat showing on Thursday.
Those who finished nine through 16 in the preliminary heats qualified for the state B or consolation Finals. One through eight advanced to the A Finals.
Bowlus took 15th amidst a field of 32 boys in the 100 backstroke preliminary heats Thursday evening. He swam a 53.78 to advance to the B or consolation Finals.
Hamilton Ross senior Cooper Burt captured first in the 100 back A Finals with a time of 48.28. Burt also finished first in the prelims in 48.94.
ROSSFORD - The Bluffton High School boys bowling team finished 13th in the 16-team Div. II district tournament at Rossford Interstate Lanes on February 20.
Only the top three teams advance to the state tournament.
Coldwater won the district crown with 4,416 total pins. St. Henry came in second (4,022), followed closely by Van Wert (4,011).
Bluffton finished with 3,476 total pins, which left them 535 pins and nine spots away from state qualification.
BLUFFTON – The hot-shooting Bluffton High School boys basketball team convincingly defeated visiting Wayne Trace 66-43 in Div. V sectional final action Friday, February 21.
The Pirates outscored the Raiders 39-15 from beyond the arc by draining 13 three-point goals.
After a slow start, Bluffton out-pointed WT 52-21 over the middle quarters to blow the game wide open.
Pirate senior guard Marek Donaldson led all scorers with 22 points on eight baskets and six trifectas. Senior Blake Sommers netted 20 markers on seven baskets, including three treys, and three free throws.
The Pirates improved to 16-7 with their fourth consecutive victory. Bluffton plays a rematch vs. top seed Lima Central Catholic in the district semifinals at Elida Fieldhouse Wednesday, Feb. 26 at approximately 7:30 p.m.
UPDATED with photos by Charles Wright on Feb. 22. CORRECTION Bowlus placed 21st in 50 freestyle.
By Cort Reynolds
CANTON – Bluffton High School junior Jackson Bowlus qualified to the state B finals in one event with a solid preliminary heat performance in the Ohio Div. II swimming meet at Canton’s C.T. Branin Natatorium Thursday evening, February 20.
