Pirate Worcester named top district defender
9 other Pirate football players honored
By Cort Reynolds
BLUFFTON – Bluffton High School senior linebacker Landen Worcester was recently named one of three Div. VI All-Northwest District Defensive Players of the Year for football by a local Ohio Prep Sportswriter Association media panel.
The 5-11, 201-pound Worcester was also named first team all-district after leading the Pirates to a 12-1 record (6-1 Northwest Conference) and their second straight regional final playoff appearance.
Cody Depweg of Coldwater and Grant Smith of Patrick Henry shared the Defensive District Div. VI Player of the Year honor with Worcester. ▶︎
Big-play speedster senior Griffin Stackhouse was named to the first team offense at wide receiver.
Junior Xavier Diller was also tabbed to the first team offensive line.
Senior defensive back Quinn Eachus earned first team all-defense honors.
Sophomore quarterback Tayte Giesige was voted to the second team all-district offense.
Pirate sophomore Mason Shank was named second team all-district on the offensive line.
Senior defensive back Carson Kruse was also tabbed to the all-district second team defensive unit.
Defender Evan Grothause and Hunter Betts were both voted honorable mention all-district.
Kicker Jackson Brauen was named honorable mention all-district.
Bluffton plays Patrick Henry in the region 22 playoff finals Friday, November 22 at Findlay.
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, September 11, 2026
- Pirate volleyball wins in four vs. Elmwood
- Howard Thornsberry worked in the produce industry
- Pirate girls soccer silenced by Bath
- Pirate boys soccer nipped by Liberty-Benton
- September 11 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Sept. 12 Open Doors offers sneak peek at future Bluffton museum space
- Innovation Forum challenges leaders to think deeper about AI
- Invitation to Sept 15 Bluffton Lions program with Dr. William H. Kose
- Deer archery hunting begins Sept. 12 in Disease Surveillance Area
Thursday, September 10, 2026
- Women in Business program with Positive Nutrition
- It's time for Fall Storytime at the Bluffton Public Library
- Pirate girls golf win vs. Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys golf splits NWC tri
- Bluffton PTO is collecting Community Markets receipts
- Richland Twp. trustees hire mower and Zoning Inspector
- Schumacher Homestead plans a farm full of Fall Fest activities
- Hindsight is 20/20: Recent reports for RSV, flu, and COVID-19
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Darrell Lee Diller, 92, managed a farming business
- Bluffton alumni will discuss pathways to chaplaincy
- Beaverdam cleanup day is Sept. 12
- Pirate boys golf 3rd at NWC quad
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Arlington
- Pirate girls soccer blanks Crestview
- Pirate boys soccer tie vs. Kalida
- Letter: The future of American agriculture
- Maple Grove Cemetery records now online
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
- Bluffton Historical meets Sept. 9 at the 1899 Depot
- Jerry L. Blosser worked for DTR Industries
- Bluffton Schools cancelled on September 8, cleanup for biodigester malfunction underway
- July 2026 Bluffton Police Dept. activity report
- Hillville Rd. closure on Sept. 8-9
- Lions and friends will count pathway users in September
- Bluffton Ohio Historical Society takes part in Ohio Open Doors, Sept. 12