By Cort Reynolds

COLUMBUS GROVE__The Bluffton High School cross country teams competed in the Columbus Grove Invitational Red Division meet on Saturday, September 5.

GIRLS RESULTS
Pirate Xandra Gatchel finished 20th in a solid time of 20:49.5 to post the top Pirate girls showing.

Tessa Tarplee finished 64th in 22:27.3. Georgia Hagen came in 75th with a time of 22:49.3. Zaeda Hermiller finished in 120th place in 24:37.8. Tala Gipson ended up 191st as the fifth Pirate scorer in 29:23.4.

Fremont Ross took first in the 23-team girls Red Division meet with 93 points. Liberty Center ended up second with 104 points. The Pirate girls finished 18th with 412 points. Bluffton beat Lake, L-B, Clay, Fostoria and Wauseon.

Napoleon’s Gwen Huddle won the 238-runner girls race in 18:02.

BOYS RESULTS
Atticus Prothro took 56th in 18:15.9 to pace the Pirate boys. Owen Shoemaker came in right behind him at 59th in 18:16.6. Levin Essinger was 86th in 19:03.3.

Bluffton’s Toby Clevidence came in 114th in 19:59. Micah Dimarco took 152nd in 21:22.9. Ian Scott finished 163rd in 23:03.5.

The Pirate boys came in 18th at the 25-team race. West Liberty-Salem won a tight boys meet with 103 points. Bryan was second (108) and Defiance Tinora came in ninth (109).

Bluffton scored 457 points to finish ahead of Liberty-Benton, Wauseon, Ottawa-Glandorf, Bath, Lima Senior, Fostoria and Oregon Clay.

Findlay ace Russell Stine finished first in the large field of 175 runners with a time of 15:44.