JR. HIGH SPORTS DIGEST
Archbold Middle School Wrestling

Archbold was back in action at the Archbold Junior High Wrestling Duals the weekend of Jan. 12. Ten teams competed and were seeded into two pools of five. Joining Archbold were Anthony Wayne, Bryan, Defiance, Genoa, Delta, Liberty Center, Napoleon, Springfield and Wauseon. AMS finished 2-2 in its pool.

Archbold's first match was a loss to Defiance. The two wrestled to a 39-39 tie, and Defiance won on the criteria of more falls. Archbold had previously lost to Defiance 51-41.

Up next was another team that they had competed against earlier, Napoleon. Archbold took an early lead and never surrendered it, winning 59-24. Getting pins were Ben Eggers, Austin Ripke, Jordan Cowell, Tyler Rufenacht and Zach Driver.

The Blue Streaks' third match was against Wauseon, the number-one seed. Archbold was beaten 63-21. The final match within their pool was Anthony Wayne. In a match that was tied at 18 going into the 124-pound match, the Streaks won four of the last six matches to take a 51-30 victory. Getting pins were Oliver Stuckey, Cody Kovnesky and Rufenacht.

Going 2-2 in their pool competition put the Streaks in a match against Genoa for fifth place. Genoa built an early 21-6 lead, but the Streaks responded, getting wins from Ripke, Stuckey, Cowell, Rufenacht and Driver. Archbold pulled away with a 50-37 victory and fifth place.

Grant Burkholder and Dave Eicher, coaches, said they knew the team title was not obtainable, because of having quite a few open weight classes, but they felt going into the tournament that a third or fourth place finish was very much in reach. "The Defiance match was crucial match in our pool," said Burkholder. "We knew going into our pool Wauseon had too much of a complete team to probably compete with them, but we really thought we could beat Defiance head to head. We came close, but we couldn't get the pins when we had the opportunity, and we gave up too many pins when we were on our backs."

"I thought that our intensity wasn't where we needed it to be at the start of the tournament, but as the day went on I felt we started to put it together more and more," said Eicher.

Winning records on the day: 80 lbs., Eggers, 3-2; 112 lbs., Ripke, 5-0; 118 lbs., Stuckey, 4-0; 124 lbs., Danny Young, 4- 1; 124/128 lbs., Cody Kovnesky, 3-1; 128 lbs., Cowell, 4-1; 142 lbs., Rufenacht, 5-0; 150 lbs., Driver, 5-0.

Archbold 7th Grade Girls Basketball

Archbold defeated Swanton 20-14, Thursday, Jan. 3. "The girls continue to work hard improving their basketball skills," said Barb Figgins, coach. "They are beginning to see the court more, as well as getting the ball to their open teammate to score."

Scoring: McKenzie Yoder, 8 points, 2 steals; Taylor Coressel, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Darian Oberlin, 4 points, 3 steals, 3 assists; Madison Short, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists; Alora Drewes, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist.

The Streaks beat Defiance 23-11, Monday, Jan. 7. Defiance jumped out to an early four-point lead, only to see Archbold score the next four points to be tied at the end of the first quarter. Archbold then scored 10 points in the second to take a 14-6 lead at halftime.

Archbold scored five points in the third and four in the fourth while holding Defiance to just five in both. Scoring: Coressel, 7 points, 3 steals, 3 assists; Yoder, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals; Caroline Vonier, 4 points; Oberlin, 3 points; Hanna Allison, 2 points.

The Streaks (6-2) lost a close 14-12 game to Patrick Henry, Thursday, Jan. 10. "We kept the game close by playing great defense and grabbing a team total of 14 steals, which created opportunities for us to score," said Figgins. "However, we just could not put the ball through the hoop."

For the Streaks: Yoder, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal; Oberlin, 3 points, 5 steals; Amanda Lovejoy, 2 points; Short, 2 points, 3 rebounds; Tatum Smith, 3 steals, 1 assist; Coressel, 2 steals, 2 assists; Drewes, 3 rebounds, 2 steals.

Archbold 7th Grade Boys Basketball

Archbold was back in action, Thursday, Jan. 17, at Montpelier. AMS got off to a good start as Zeb Frank bucketed five points in the quarter as Archbold opened a 15-8 lead. Josiah McQuillin and Darin Sauder each drained three-pointers in the second as the Streaks built their lead to 33-19.

The Streaks put the game away in the third, outscoring the Locos 19-5. Taylor Price and Stuart Wyse had the hot hands in the third as they each scored seven in the quarter. Archbold posted a 58-29 victory.

Price led the way with 18, followed by Wyse with 10.