BLUFFTON__The Bluffton High School football team raced to a big early lead and handily defeated visiting rival Pandora-Gilboa 48-14 on Friday, August 29 at Harmon Field.
The Pirates improved to 2-0 with the non-league victory, while P-G fell to 1-1 with the surprisingly lopsided loss.
Bluffton junior quarterback Tayte Giesige tossed four first-half touchdowns, three to Lleyton Miller, as the Pirates built an insurmountable 42-7 lead at halftime.
COLUMBUS GROVE – The Bluffton High School cross country teams competed in the Red Division race of the large Columbus Grove Invitational on Saturday, August 30.
Pirate freshman Atticus Prothro finished 65th in 18:26.6 to post the top Bluffton boys showing. Freshman Tessa Tarplee finished 72nd in a time of 22:23.9 to pace the Pirate girls in the Red Division race.
BLUFFTON – The Bluffton High School boys soccer team blanked visiting Wapakoneta 3-0 in a non-league match on Saturday evening, August 30 at Steinmetz Field.
Bluffton improved to 2-2-1 with the victory. Wapak fell to 2-4-1 after the defeat.
Bluffton’s Calvin Derstine scored two goals to pace the victors.
His first netter came in the 12th minute on an assist by August. The Pirates carried that 1-0 lead into halftime.
The 20th annual Bluffton Fall Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, September 27 with activities in and all around Bluffton, Ohio. For more information, visit www.blufftonfallfestival.com or Facebook.
Activities are scheduled for 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. unless noted otherwise.
The official opening of the Bluffton Community Dog Park on Lake St. was held on Sunday, August 24. The event honored Bluffton teacher, heart transplant recipient and dog lover Katrina Riepenhoff, who passed away in 2024. Donations in her honor accelerated the creation of the dog park.
A ribbon cutting ceremony with volunteer organizers as well as Riepenhoff’s parents Joe and Becky celebrated the development of fenced areas for both large and small dogs with water stations. The dog park is located on Lake St. next to the Village Arboretum on the north side of Cobb Lake.
Ian Shriner sadly left our world on Tuesday, August 5, in Burke, Virginia. He was born July 31, 1983, in Durham, North Carolina. His parents are John (Joann) Shriner of Cookeville, Tennessee, and Elizabeth Kelly (Ray Person) of Bluffton, Ohio.
Ian graduated from Cookeville (TN) High School and the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) with a major in Marine Biology. He was a committed Superfan of the UNCW Seahawks baseball team and known for rallying up the fans in the stands. He volunteered his time with the Special Olympics and Miracle Field baseball.
The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the date of November 29 for the 2025 Blaze of Lights parade and Festival.
The theme for downtown decorations and parade floats is "Home for the Holidays."
The chamber message notes, "It's hard to believe that three months from today is the highly-anticipated annual Blaze of Lights event! ....More information regarding parade participation, etc will be coming soon. We look forward to making this another wonderful Blaze of Lights event for our community!"
DEFIANCE__The visiting Bluffton High School volleyball team swept Defiance Ayersville in a non-league match on Thursday, August 2.
The Pirate girls won 25-23, 23-21, 25-9. Bluffton improved to 3-3 with the decisive non-league win.
Ayersville fell to 4-2 with their second straight defeat after a 4-0 start.
Kendall Stackhouse led the Pirates with 13 kills, and she added three aces. Lainey Grandey smacked downed 10 kills, and Libby Hocanson drilled seven kills.
