By Cort Reynolds

COLUMBUS GROVE - The Bluffton High School cross country teams competed in the Div. III Northwest District meet on Saturday, October 18, at Columbus Grove.

The Pirates qualified three boy and three girl runners to the regional meet next weekend. Atticus Prothro, Levin Essinger, Toby Clevidence, Lydia Tarplee, Elizabeth Honse and Tessa Tarplee advanced with solid runs Saturday.

The top six teams and the top 12 individuals not on a qualifying team made it to the regional meet.

BOYS RESULTS

Bryan won the boys team title with just 23 points. Van Wert came in second with 73 points, followed by Archbold (93). The Bluffton boys ended up ninth out of 11 full teams with 219 points.

Bryan freshman John Deitemyer won the 80-runner boys race in a time of 16:37.4.

The Bluffton boys posted an average time of 20:11.

Freshman Prothro was the top Pirate finisher with a time of 18:44.8, in 24th place. 

Sophomore Essinger crossed the line 31st in 18:58.5. Sophomore Toby Clevidence was the third Pirate qualifier after finishing 37th in a time of 19:12.

Sophomore Liam Moore came in 64th in 21:12.8. Freshman Logan Stechschulte finished 72nd in 22:45.6, while freshman teammate Micah DiMarco was right behind him in 73rd at 23:05.3.

Freshman Max Fritsch ended up 77th in 24:32.6.

GIRLS RESULTS

In girls competition, Napoleon won the district team crown with 59 points to nose out Ottawa-Glandorf (61) by just two points. 

Archbold came in third place with 82 points. The Pirate girls ended up ninth out of 10 teams with 222 points.

Senior Lydia Tarplee topped the Pirate girls with a time of 23:20.2 as she finished 35th in the field of 66 runners. 

Freshman Tessa Tarplee was second for Bluffton in 37th place with a time of 23:31.9. Senior Elizabeth Honse was the third Pirate girls regional qualifier as she finished 47th in 25:05.3.

Sophomore Tala Gipson came in 51st (25:44.9), with soph teammate Zaeda Hermiller right behind her in 52nd (25:55). Freshman Jora Bosivert was 65th in 33:29.

The average Bluffton girls time was 24:44.

Napoleon’s Gwen Huddle won the girls race with a time of 18:34.

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