ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Streaks Win Five Regional Titles, Advance To State In Eight Events


Brandon Taylor takes the handoff from leadoff runner Karter Behnfeldt in the finals of the boys 4x400-meter relay at the regional meet. The Blue Streaks won the event. Behnfeldt also won the regional boys high jump title (see photo on front page).– photo by Mary Huber

Brandon Taylor takes the handoff from leadoff runner Karter Behnfeldt in the finals of the boys 4×400-meter relay at the regional meet. The Blue Streaks won the event. Behnfeldt also won the regional boys high jump title (see photo on front page).– photo by Mary Huber

With temperatures in the low 50s and brisk winds, the Division III Regional Track & Field Championships, Friday, May 28, at Tiffin, felt more like the beginning of the season than one week from the end.

But the athletes soldiered on and in the end, Archbold athletes won five individual event titles.

Kylie Sauder, a senior, won the girls 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 17 seconds– more than five seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

Trey Theobald, a senior, won the boys 400-meter dash in 50.17 seconds, seventy-six hundredths (.76) ahead of the second-place finisher.

Karter Behnfeldt, a sophomore, won the boys high jump with a jump of 6 feet, 0 inches.

The boys 4×200-meter relay team of Brandon Taylor, Alex Roth, Austin Roth, and Theobald won in 1:31.28, more than a second faster than the second-place team.

Brandon Taylor passes the baton to Austin Roth in the finals of the boys 4x200-meter relay at the regional meet. The Blue Streaks won the event by more than a second over secondplace Columbus Grove.– photo by Mary Huber

Brandon Taylor passes the baton to Austin Roth in the finals of the boys 4×200-meter relay at the regional meet. The Blue Streaks won the event by more than a second over secondplace Columbus Grove.– photo by Mary Huber

And the boys 4×400 relay of Behnfeldt, Taylor, Austin Roth, and Theobald won in 3:26.24, half a second faster than the second-place team.

All five advance to the State Track & Field Championships, Friday and Saturday, June 4-5, at Westerville North High School.

Other State Qualifiers

Also qualifying for state:

Theobald finished third in the 100-meter dash in 11.52. Tinora’s Brandon Edwards won in 11:41.

The 100 had to be rerun after the meet computer “went black,” said a meet official. It was conducted 30 minutes after the completion of the boys 4×400, which is usually the last event of the meet.

The girls 4×400 team of Chloe Merillat, Brittney Ramirez, Sophie Rupp, and Sauder finished third in 4:09.08. Toledo Christian won in 4:05.94.

The girls 4×800 team of B. Ramirez, Regan Ramirez, Rupp, and Sauder finished fifth in 9:54.5. Liberty Center won in 9:37.28.

Kiera Gensler finished fifth in the girls shot put with a throw of 37-9. Patrick Henry’s Trista Fintel won with a throw of 44-5 3/4.

The girls 4×800 relay and Gensler qualified for the state tournament with atlarge bids.

“They take the top four from each region and then the next two fastest or farthest (in case of field events) from the whole state in Div. III,” said Rachel Kinsman, AHS head coach.

Other Regional Participants

Merillat finished sixth in the girls 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.97. Colonel Crawford’s Katie Ruffener won in 45.58.

The girls 4×200 relay of Merillat, B. Ramirez, Rupp, and Sauder finished sixth in 1:48.81. Ayersville won in 1:45.18.

Gensler finished sixth in the girls discus with a throw of 114-8. Leipsic’s Ella Rigel won with a throw of 133-5.

Rupp finished seventh in the girls high jump with a jump of 5-2. Colonel Crawford’s Liv Krassow won with a jump of 5-6 1/4.

Brady Johns finished seventh in the boys 1600 in 4:40.24. Hopewell-Loudon’s Trey Masterson won in 4:28.64.

Caleb Ranzau finished seventh in the boys pole vault with a vault of 12-0. Continental’s Isaac Gibbs won with a vault of 13-8.

Sean Hageman finished eighth in the boys 110 hurdles in 17.36. Collins Western Reserve’s Jacob Jarrett won in 15.79.

Behnfeldt finished eighth in the boys long jump with a jump of 19-8 1/2. McComb’s Kavon Bailey won with a jump of 22-0 1/2.

Blue Streaks who participated but did not make the finals of their events or did not advance to state: Alex Roth, boys 200; Brennan Garrow, boys 800; Johns, boys 3200; Hunter Cullen-Lemley, boys shot put; Parker Von Deylen, boys discus; Levi Tilse, boys pole vault; the boys 4×100 relay of Jackson Keiser, Behnfeldt, Ranzau, and Alex Roth; the boys 4×800 team of Garrow, Aden McCarty, Weston Ruffer, and Johns.

Team Results

Columbus Grove ran away with the boys team title with 104 points.

Going into what turned out to be the final race– the boys 100– Bluffton was in second place with 50 points, Hopewell-Loudon was third with 47, and Archbold was fourth with 46.

Bluffton had no runner in the boys 100, so it finished with 50 points.

Theobald’s third-place finish gave AHS six team points for a total of 52.

Hopewell-Loudon’s Sherron Jones finished fifth for four team points, giving the Chieftains a total of 51 points and the Blue Streaks the regional runner-up title.