Black Knights 2nd, Elmwood third at Van Buren

VAN BUREN INVITEFINDLAY – Findlay runners Camden Stechschulte and Natalie Gutman were individual race champions on Saturday when they won their divisions of the Van Buren Cross Country Invitational held at Owens Community College.Stechschulte won the boys big school race with a time of 16:33, hitting the tape just six seconds ahead of teammate Russell Stine III (16:39). Findlay's Lucas Parnell (17:07) and Tyler Strabley (17:16) placed fifth and sixth and Andrew Custer was 12th (18:44), giving the Trojans 26 points in the team standings and a 16-point margin of victory over Ottawa Hills. Ottawa Hills did beat out Findlay, 24 points to 60, for the girls big school title.Gutman won the girls big school race, posting a time of 19:20 and beating Natalie Nixon of Ottawa Hills (19:24) by four seconds.Findlay had a strong team showing in the girls division, with Abanna Doton (21:05), placing 11th and Kayla Moyer (21:31), Gabby Brankamp (21:54), Isla Crim (22:08) and Raia Koomen (22:11) finishing in a pack in positions 16 through 19.Liberty-Benton also showed depth in the girls big school race. Josie Kern (20:43) placed eighth overall, Claire McDaniel was 12th (21:12) and Saraphina Bouaphakeo (22nd, 22:51), Ava Ellerbrock (25th, 23:32) and Evelyn Checki (29th, 25:50) all added top-30 placings.Adam Subramanian was L-B's top placer in the boys big school race (27th, 20:01).Host school Van Buren, along with Elmwood, ran up front in the boys small school competition. Seneca East (65 points) edged Van Buren (68) in the team standings, with Elmwood (80) third and Hopewell-Loudon (128) fourth.Van Buren's Carter Finley was fourth overall in a time of 17:07 and Carter Fry was sixth (17:12), with Andrew Puperi (11th, 17:31) and Griffin Ware (15th, 17:41) among the top 15 placers.Elmwood's top five runners were well-bunched as well, with Henry Good (17:35) and Gavin Minich (17:36) placing 12th and 13th, Dylan Armentrout 18th (18:04), Trever Shaffer 21st (18:13) and Gavin Reinhart 26th (18:27).Margaretta's Cole Zang was the boys small school champion with a time of 16:47, 14 seconds ahead of Lakota's Wyatt Brubaker (17:01).Three area runners cracked the top ten, with Riverdale's Gabe Donaldson seventh (17:15), Leipsic's Calvin Miller ninth (17:18) and Cory-Rawson's Wyatt Foust tenth (17:21).Hopewell-Loudon's Ian Bloom was 16th overall (17:42), one spot ahead of Pandora-Gilboa's Adam Buell (17:57).Seneca East (38) dominated the girls small school division, with Carey (102), North Baltimore (108) and Elmwood (121) rounding out the top four.Elmwood's Janessa Childress and North Baltimore's Aby Reynolds went step for step in the girl small school race, with both posting times of 20:34 and finishing third and fourth.Elmwood's Grace Morgart (21:27) was eighth and Carey's Elysa Holsinger (21:38) was tenth. Cory-Rawson's Libby Kempf (14th, 22:13), Riverdale's Gwen Bucher (15th, 22:14) and Van Buren's Darby Poling (18th, 22:37) and Maddie Stufft (19th, 22:41) added top-20 placings as well. GOLF BLACK KNIGHT INVITEARLINGTON – Ottawa Hills posted a 310 team total on Saturday to edge Toledo St. John's (315), Toledo St. Francis (319), Perrysburg (320) and Van Buren (322) and win the lack Knights Invitational at Sycamore Spring Golf Course.Liberty-Benton, which got 81s from Jackson Knepper and Luke Gerten and an 82 from Andrew Tomlinson, was seventh (335) in the event.Area golf teams now begin their quest for state. Findlay will compete in Division I sectional tournaments at Arlington's Sycamore Springs Golf Course today (girls) and Wednesday (boys). The Fostoria Country Club will host most area Division II girls teams on Tuesday, with Division III boys sectionals Thursday at Sycamore Springs and Pike Run hosting most area squads.