ROSSFORD __ Seven Bluffton High School wrestlers battled for a spot in the state tournament at the Div. III district meet in Rossford, February 28-March 1.
Five of the seven Pirates won their first match Friday, with four of them then losing in the second round. Only sophomore Mason Shank advanced to the semifinals with two straight wins Friday in the 285 lbs. division.
Shank finished fourth in the heavyweight class Saturday to make it to the state event. Sophomore Evan Grothause ended up sixth in the 190 lbs. bracket.
A top-four finish at districts in any weight class qualified a wrestler for the state tournament at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus March 7-8. READ MORE
ELIDA – The Bluffton High School boys basketball team lost 70-56 to rival Lima Central Catholic in the Div. VI district semifinals at the Elida Fieldhouse Wednesday night, February 26 to end their season.
Bluffton inched within 28-27 late in the first half, but LCC freshman guard Jeff Williams canned a big trifecta at the buzzer to put the Thunderbirds on top 31-27 at intermission.
The Thunderbirds took control of the game with a crucial 24-15 third quarter to break away from the tight halftime score.
At 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Bluffton High School boys basketball team will play Lima Central Catholic in the OHSAA D6 District Semi-Finals at the Elida Fieldhouse.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets $5 for students (K-12) $8 Adults. Cash only tickets are available at the gate.
This evening is a split session. The gym will be cleared after the 6 p.m. game with Columbus Grove vs. Crestview.
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.
