HARROD __ The well-balanced Bluffton High School wrestling team captured the annual eight-team Northwest Conference championship in a title meet hosted by Allen East on February 15.
The Pirates tallied 217.5 points to defeat perennial power host AE (207) by 10.5 points to win the crown. Defending champion Columbus Grove took third with 199 points.
It was the fourth NWC title won by Bluffton in wrestling.
Three Pirate wrestlers won individual league championships, and four others finished second.
NAPOLEON __ The Bluffton High School boys bowling team finished a strong third at the River City Bowl-a-Way alley in Div. II sectional tournament action on February 14 in Napoleon.
Ottawa-Glandorf won the boys sectional team crown with 4,121 pins. Napoleon was second with 4,021 pins, exactly 100 pins behind O-G.
The Pirates rolled a 3,999 total as their top four bowlers all finished in the top 20 individually. Bryan finished fourth with 3,929.
DELTA – On February 13, the visiting Bluffton High School girls basketball team lost a Div. V sectional first round thriller at Delta, 47-42.
The second-seeded Panthers rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit with a 33-20 second half to avoid a minor upset. Delta closed the game on a 7-2 run to pull out the close victory.
Pirate junior Blair Utendorf drove left and banked in a fadeaway
runner off one foot to tie the game 40-40 with a minute left.
HARROD - The visiting Bluffton High School boys basketball team broke away late to beat local Northwest Conference rival Allen East 54-45 on February 14 in the league finale.
The Pirates improved to 14-7 overall and finished 3-4 in the NWC play after the big win. Columbus Grove and Spencerville shared the league title at 6-1. Bluffton came in fifth in the eight-team standings.
Allen East fell to 10-11 overall and ended up 2-5 in NWC action after the loss. Crestview and LCC tied for third in the league at 5-2.
BOWLING GREEN – Several Bluffton swimmers competed in the Div. II district meet at Bowling Green State University on Friday, February 14, with one winning a title.
Pirate junior Jackson Bowlus captured the 100-yard backstroke in 53.21 by .20 to qualify for the state meet. Bowlus also touched seventh in the boys 50 freestyle.
Junior Jenna Downey took third in the 100 butterfly, and came home ninth in the 50 freestyle.
Senior Xavier Diller touched ninth in the 100 butterfly (57.2). Freshman Kari Diller came in ninth in the 100 backstroke.
The Pirate girls 200 medley relay team finished eighth. The Bluffton girls 400 free relay quartet came in 13th.
The Bluffton boys 200 medley relay finished a solid sixth. The Pirate 400 free relay quartet came in 10th. The boys 200 free relay foursome ended up 18th.
