By Cort Reynolds
Additional photos below

COLUMBUS GROVE⎯Bluffton senior Landon Armstrong won the 121-runner  Columbus Grove Invitational boys gray division race Saturday morning. Armstrong finished first in a time of 15:45.371. Classmate Erik Nygaard took third, just 6.15 seconds behind Armstrong. 

Icon photographer and mom Jamie Nygaard reports "Erik and Landon are not only Bluffton High School Seniors, they are close friends, amazing runners and both broke a 40-year old BHS cross country record of 15:52 that was held by Mullenhour."

Jackson Center's Kellen Reichert was second, 2.1 seconds behind his pace.

Pirate senior Sam Derstine came in a solid 13th.

Botkins won the boys gray division team title with 75 points. CG was a  close second (79), followed by Lincolnview (101) and Bluffton in fourth (104). BHS times and boys Gray Division results are below.

Lady Pirate sophomore June Essinger finished sixth out of 118 runners  in the girls gray division race at Columbus Grove.

The Bluffton girls team came in sixth out of 11 teams. Botkins won the  girls gray team title. BHS times and girls Gray Division results are below.

Bluffton runs in the 11-team Riverdale Invitational Thursday, September 8. The Pirates then race in the 31-team Ottawa-Glandorf Invite Saturday, Sept. 10.

Bluffton boys Gray Division results:
Place Runner - Time - Class
1st Landon Armstrong  - 15:45.371 - 12
3rd Erik Nygaard - 15:51.527 - 12
13th Sam Derstine - 17:01.815 -12
43rd Landon Sehlhorst - 19:01.614  - 9
44th Liam Jordan - 19:03.115 - 11
46th John Yoder - 19:07.025  - 11
63rd    Jonah Rehm - 19:29.405 - 12

Boys Team Gray Div. scores:
1 BOTKINS 75 points
2 COLUMBUS GROVE         79
3 LINCOLNVIEW 101
4 BLUFFTON      104
5 188 HICKSVILLE
6 225 CAREY
7 229 FAYETTE
8 229 KALIDA
9 266 UPPER SCIOTO VALLEY
10 273 JACKSON CENTER
11 282 ANTWERP
12 306 SPENCERVILLE
13 315 CRESTVIEW
14 328 DELPHOS ST. JOHN'S
15 361 WOODMORE
16 386 AYERSVILLE
17 387 EDGERTON

Bluffton girls Gray Division results:
Place Runner  - Time  - Class
6th June Essinger  - 20:18.303 - 10
23rd Grace Conley -  22:43.225  -  9
33rd Amairi Painter - 23:29.128 - 11
39th Mackay Tuttle  - 24:00.499 - 10
49th Elizabeth Honse  - 25:03.698 - 9
55th Kaelin Weissling - 25:18.216 - 11
66th Sadie Tarplee -  27:08.353 - 10

Girls Team Gray Div. results:
1 BOTKINS       45 points
2 71 WOODMORE
3 71 LINCOLNVIEW
4 113 DELPHOS ST. JOHN'S
5 124 COLUMBUS GROVE
6 BLUFFTON 150
7 156 ANTWERP
8 199 EDGERTON
9 226 OTTOVILLE
10 271 CRESTVIEW
11 303 CAREY