TIFFIN – The Pettisville Blackbirds are no stranger to the postseason call of Columbus. Sadly though, the call this year was received as, “All lines are busy; please try your call again later.”
Facing their toughest competition of the 2013 campaign, the Boys in Black were unable to surmount the odds against them at the D-III Tiffin Regionals on October 26. Needing a fourth place finish or better to qualify for Columbus, the Blackbirds landed in eleventh, eliminating them as a team.
The final opening for the State Finals, the individual qualifications, also went unanswered. Runners in the top 16 finishers that were not already on a qualifying team were given passage to the capitol city by means of individual qualification. No one on the Pettisville patrol met the criteria though, with Kyle Lantz’ 31st place finish leading the way for the Battling ‘Birds.
The following Pettisville finishes were recorded by place and time…
11 – Pettisville – 263
31 – Kyle Lantz – 17:19.71
63 – Daniel Sauder – 17:51.52
68 – Austin Dykstra – 17:55.83
77 – Jeremy Mann – 18:01.08
90 – Aaron Bontrager – 18:16.00
93 – Dominic Frey – 18:20.65
104 – Jacob Hauter – 18:41.15