Story by Cort Reynolds
Photo by Jamie Nygaard
TIFFIN - The youthful Bluffton boys cross country team finished 22nd in the 23-team Div. III regional meet at Tiffin's Hedges-Boyer Park on a cool, wet Saturday morning.
New London won the boys team title with 68 points. Sandusky St. Mary's Central Catholic was second with 125 points, followed by Hopewell-Loudon (164) in third.
Holgate (192) came in fourth, followed by Minster (203), Ashland Crestview (204) and Liberty Center (209).
Only the top seven teams and those individuals who finished in the top 28 advance to the state meet Saturday, November 2 at Hebron's National Trail Raceway.
Bluffton scored 546 points, with its seven runners averaging a time of 18:37.08. The Pirates beat out Marion Local by 17 points.
Senior Noah Fisher of Defiance Ayersville won the individual title in the field of 188 runners with a time of 15:41.1.
Bluffton freshman Erik Nygaard finished 68th in 17:32.11 to finish first among the top Pirate runners.
Junior Pirate Elijah Conley crossed the finish line 124th in 18:16.66. Freshman Isaiah Conley was 144th, followed by freshman Wyatt Lovell in 167th.
Another Bluffton freshman, Sam Derstine, took 169th. Sophomore Trey Boblitt came in 184th while junior teammate Carter Dyar came in one place behind him.
The top seven Bluffton runners are comprised of four freshmen, two juniors and a sophomore, so they earned valuable experience for next season by making it to the regional level.
Among other locals running as individual qualifiers, freshman Joe Parker of Upper Scioto Valley finished 41st in 17:16.43. Junior Ram teammate Zack Britton finished 106th in 17:55.92. Sophomore Hunter Sidle of Allen East came in 72nd in 17:34.07.
Bluffton individual finishers:
Place Runner Time Points Class
68th Erik Nygaard 17:32.11 52 Fr
124th Elijah Conley 18:16.66 97 Jr
144th Isaiah Conley 18:40.87 117 Fr
167th Wyatt Lovell 19:16.78 139 Fr
169th Sam Derstine 19:18.96 141 Fr
184th Trey Boblitt 21:18.51 156 So
185th Carter Dyar 21:20.50 157 Jr
Div. III Tiffin Regional team standings:
1 New London 68 points
Average: 16:47.89
2 Sandusky St. Mary's CC 125
Average: 17:08.13 3 Hopewell-Loudon 164
Average: 17:08.42
4 Holgate 192
Average: 17:23.70
5 Minster 203
Average: 17:13.27
6 Ashland Crestview 204
Average: 17:24.40
7 Liberty Center 209
Average: 17:20.44
8 Columbus Grove 217
Average: 17:26.44
9 Lakota 262
Average: 17:30.56
10 Woodmore 281
Average: 17:30.82
11 Lincolnview 333
Average: 17:43.56
12 Maumee Valley Country Day 339
Average: 17:44.48
13 New Riegel 352
Average: 17:49.76
14 Defiance Tinora 353
Average: 17:48.65
15 Sherwood Fairview 356
Average: 17:51.84
16 Bucyrus Wynford 377
Average: 17:53.77
17 St. Paul 396
Average: 17:59.26
18 Waynesfield-Goshen 447
Average: 18:14.79
19 Parkway 453
Average: 18:23.09
20 Defiance Ayersville 475
Average: 18:13.58
21 Edgerton 482
Average: 18:17.35
22 Bluffton 546
Average: 18:37.08
23 Marion Local 563
Average: 18:44.13
