(May 16th, 2015) – WEST UNITY: For the fourth time in as many years, the Blackbirds of Pettisville have claimed a Buckeye Border Conference (BBC) title. Pettisville commanded the meet, scoring 181 points, besting second place Edon’s 115. Earning third place was Fayette with 86 points, while Stryker put up 52, Hilltop 41, and North Central 39.
In the 300 meter hurdles, Ethan Brakefield finished in first place with a time of 42.44. Hilltop’s Sam Shilling claimed second place at 44.96. A time of 46.71 was enough to give North Central hurdler Kaleb Faler third place. Logan Bloir took fourth place, thanks to his time of 48.05. Fifth place belonged to Michael Brubaker was awarded fifth place by running a 49.41.
Alex Kirkingburg won the 400 meter dash for Edon, turning in a 53.82. Fayette runner Dylan Stannard completed his lap in 55.3, while fellow Eagle Skylar Lantz put up a time of 57.44, good for fourth place. Pettisville’s Dustin Lucas finished the race in 56.02 to earn third place, and his teammate, Nathan Siller crossed the finish line in 57.89 to receive fifth place.
Pettisville racked up a victory in the one mile run, with Kyle Lantz giving the Blackbirds a first place finish at 4:36.27, which was just 10 seconds shy of setting a new meet record. Skylar Lantz, of Fayette, took home second place with a time of 4:53.22. Another Blackbird, Aaron Bontrager came in third place, running the race in 4:58.96. Edon’s Andrew LaDuke claimed fourth place with a run of 4:59.29.Trenton Sakos rounded out the top five, with a 5:08.97 effort on North Central’s behalf.
Stryker won the 4X200 meter relay, as the speedy team of Kaid Woolace, Isreal Aguilar, Alexander Bost, and Brannon Woolace clipped Pettisville by less than a second with a 1:40.22. Blackbirds Levi Nofziger, Caleb Rychener, Dustin Nofziger, and Seth Brakefield joined forces to run a 1:40.65. The Bomber squad, consisting of Austin Batt, Conner Wilson, Michael Ater, and Blake Thiel, came in third, with Thiel crossing the finish line in 1:43.43. With a time of 1:48.36, Kaleb Faler, Zac Turner, Evan Munger, and Kodi Bentley gave North Central a fourth place showing. Fifth place went to Hilltop, as Joe Shilling, Chase Masters, Scott Goodnight, and Ben Garcia combined to run a 1:49.14.
First place in the shot put was claimed by Edon senior Kenny Ordway, who threw for 41’05.5” for the win. Ryan Gilmore, of Fayette, tossed the metal orb 38’8.5” to take second place. Another Edon thrower, Vincent Hutchins, came in third place at 37’1.25”. Stryker’s Isreal Aguilar finished fourth with a throw of 35’6.75”. Fifth place was awarded to Hilltop senior Ben Garcia, thanks to his toss of 34’06.5”.
Pettisville controlled this meet from start to finish. The only team in the BBC capable of standing up against the Blackbirds, Edon, was hindered by a Fayette team short on numbers but very high on talent. Stryker, Hilltop, and North Central had competitors hold their own in individual events, but lacked the depth to seriously compete for a BBC crown.