By Cort Reynolds

SPENCERVILLE __The Bluffton High School cross country teams competed in the Black Division of the Spencerville Bearcat Invitational meet on Saturday, September 6.

Both Pirate teams finished fourth at the event. 

South Adams (Ind.) won the boys team title with 27 points, followed by Paulding (60), Coldwater (79), Bluffton (112), Bath (117) and St. Marys (119).

Freshman Atticus Prothro finished seventh in a time of 18:26.2 to post the top Pirate finish. Sophomore teammate Toby Clevidence came in 13th in 19:13.2. 

Levin Essinger ended up 35th with a time of 20:58.6. Running fourth for Bluffton was Liam Moore, who finished 37th in 21:04. The fifth Pirate scorer was Logan Stechschulte. He ended up 40th in 21:17.9.

Micah Dimarco came in 43rd in 21:41. Max Fritsch was right behind him in 44th at 21:59.2.

Caleb Kantner was 55th in 24:13.2. Damian Criblez ended up 63rd in 25:22.4.

Paulding junior Max Daerger took first in the boys 66-runner Black Division race with a time of 17:06.9.

Coldwater won the eight-team girls meet with just 25 points. Bath was a distant second with 84, followed by Ben Logan (85) and Bluffton (118).

Freshman Tessa Tarplee was the top Pirate girl with a ninth-place finish amid the 69-runner field in 22:53.2.

Sophomore Zaeda Hermiller came in 20th in 23:39.2. Elizabeth Honse crossed the line 25th in 24:17.5.

Lydia Tarplee ended up 27th in 24:21.1. Tala Gipson finished 48th in 26:50.5. Jora Boisvert was 62nd.

Bath sophomore Penny Francis won the girls Black Division race with a time of 19:53.7.