EDON HILLTOP STRYKER MONTPELIER PETTISVILLE NORTH CENTRAL FAYETTE WAUSEON

THE HOMETOWN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25TH, 2014

A WEEKLY SPORTS PUBLICATION COURTESY OF "THE VILLAGE REPORTER"

State & National

Competition

WILLIAMS

FULTON

PHOTO BY MICHAEL NAFZIGER, STAFF

LAUNCHING PAD ... Noah Castle of Wauseon follows the flight

of the discus he launched at the D-II State Finals. He placed
second at State, then joined the fray at the Nationals at North
Carolina A & T where he finished seventh in the country.

Reporter

EDON BOMBERS MONTPELIER LOCOS NORTH CENTRAL EAGLES

HILLTOP CADETS STRYKER PANTHERS FAYETTE EAGLES
PETTISVILLE BLACKBIRDS WAUSEON INDIANS

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Assorted Sports Events

THE HOMETOWN HUDDLE

Ty Suntken of Wauseon Three-Peats River Wicker Of Edon Takes

As NWOAL Player Of The Year
The 2014 BBC Baseball

Ty Suntken of Wauseon Three-Peats As

NWOAL Player Of The Year.
The Wauseon Indians and the Montpelier Locomotives both figured heavily in the
2014 All-NWOAL baseball selections.
Ty Suntken of Wauseon was named
NWOAL Player of the Year for the third year
in a row, while Tribe skipper Trent Thomas
was named Coach of the Year. Seven members of the 2014 Indians team were tabbed
for All-NWOAL recognition.
Cody Caudill was named to the AllNWOAL Second Team, and Hunter McKelvey received an All-NWOAL Honorable
Mention nod.
The 2014 All-NWOAL baseball selections for Wauseon and Montpelier were as
follows

NWOAL Player of the Year Ty Suntken Wauseon

NWOAL Coach of the Year Trent
Thomas Wauseon
All-NWOAL First Team
Axel Bueter - Wauseon
Ty Suntken - Wauseon
Jacob Newlove - Wauseon
All-NWOAL Second Team
Joshua Kauffman - Wauseon
Cody Caudill - Montpelier
All-NWOAL Honorable Mention
Clay Tefft - Wauseon
Nate Suntken - Wauseon
Jeremiah Kauffman - Wauseon
Hunter McKelvey - Montpelier

Hannah Bleikamp Of Hilltop

Named 2014 BBC Softball
Player Of The Year
Anybody who is surprised that Hilltops Hannah Bleikamp has been named
BBC Softball player of the year, please
raise your hand. Uh huh. Thats what I
thoughtnobody.
The Lady Cadet senior and Sienna
Heights prospect spent the year tearing
the cover off the ball, leading the Ladies in
Red to the 2014 BBC Championship. What
Miguel Cabrera is to the Detroit Tigers,
Hannah was to the Lady Cadets. She was
the last person an opposing pitcher wanted
to see stepping into the batters box with
the game on the line or runners on base.
Her exploits did not go unnoticed by those
in other regions of the state, which is why
she was also named First Team All-Ohio
for the 2014 campaign.
The 2014 All-BBC Softball selections
were as follows

Teagan Kauffman Pettisville

Conner Varner Stryker
Connor Sullivan Stryker
Kaitlin Chrisman Edon
Alexandra Kiess Edon
Brittney Mocherman Hilltop
All-BBC Second Team
Rachel Oxender NC
Abbey Litzenberg NC
Stephanie Hubby Pettisville
Haley Jacoby Edon
Kaitlyn Manahan Edon
Nicole Newell Edon
Brooke Chapin Hilltop
Shayla Coffman Hilltop
Jessica Suboski Hilltop
Bailey Funkhouser Hilltop
All-BBC Honorable Mention
Tristen Tomblin NC
Reese Cogswell NC
Makayla Hayes NC
Emily Hubby Pettisville
Taylor DAlelio Pettisville
Tasha Pegorch Stryker
Miranda Pegorch Stryker
Taylor Haines Stryker
Taylor Hartman Fayette
Kahner Galloway Fayette
Jena Myers Fayette
Sydney Schmitt Hilltop
Adreyn Yates Hilltop
Allie Schmitt Hilltop

* Hannah Bleikamp Hilltop Player

of the Year*
All-Ohio First Team

All-BBC First Team

Sabrina Pickford NC
Amber Klopfenstein Pettisville
All-NW District First Team

Jaelyn Rufenacht Pettisville

All-NW District Honorable Mention

Audra Klopfenstein Pettisville

All-NW District Honorable Mention

Player Of The Year Nod

River Wicker of the Edon Blue Bombers

has been named the 2014 BBC Baseball
Player of the Year. The senior hurler led
the Boys in Bomber Blue to a 7-3 mark
in the BBC, but his trademark toughness
came to the fore when matched up against
the equally tough southpaw of the North
Central Eagles, Branden Turner. The
matchups between the two hurlers in 2014
were nothing short of epic battles.
Turner was named to the All-BBC First
Team, as was the Big Cat from Stryker,
Parker Ruffer. Also making the All-BBC
First Team in his first year of eligibility
was Brody Shock of Stryker. That name
should bring back memories of Bronson
Shock, who helped the Panthers to a District Championship in 2007. Brody helped
lift the Panther Pack to a share of the 2014
BBC crown.
The 2014 All-BBC Baseball selections
were as follows

Parker Ruffer Stryker

Brody Shock Stryker
Dean Beamont Stryker
Jacob Brown Edon
Brock Thiel Edon
Chad Champion Jr. Hilltop
All-BBC Second Team
Dylan Hutchison NC
Clayton Ferguson NC
Christian Barhite Pettisville
Tate Kauffman Pettisville
Noah Miller Pettisville
Trevor Green Edon
Connor Hug Edon
Koby Biddix Fayette
Logan Brooker Hilltop
All-BBC Honorable Mention
Jordan Reeves NC
Dustin Nofziger Pettisville
Eli King Pettisville
Colton Benson Stryker
Chad Ruffer Stryker
Kaden Sapp Edon
Jared Wagner Fayette
Jerad Seiler Fayette
Ben Grieser Fayette
Nic Schieber Hilltop
Justin Grapengeter Hilltop
Miklo Abner Hilltop

* River Wicker Edon Player of the

Year*
All-BBC First Team
Branden Turner NC
Colton Pilmore NC
Josh Sawyer NC

BBC Scholar Athlete Numbers

Approach The Century Mark
The BBC Scholar Athlete listings for the Spring
2014 season were extensiveand long. The listing, recognizing juniors
and seniors who lettered
in their sport and carried a
minimum 3.25 GPA, contained 93 names from the
six BBC schools, including eight that were listed
as carrying a 4.0 or better
GPA.
The list, as provided by
BBC Commissioner Randy
Bachman, is as follows
Edon
Haley Jacoby
Kaitlyn Manahan
Jordan Matthews
Kaitlin Chrisman
Alex Kiess
Nicole Newell
Hannah BrehmGutting
Baylee Gearhart (4.0)
Britney Ziko
Autumn Joice
Destinee Riter
Mike Peeples (4.0)
Wyatt Walkowski
Alex Kirkingburg (4.0)
Coy Dunkle
Kyle Long
Brendan Fifer
Corey Whalen
River Wicker
Wyatt Zulch
Jacob Brown
Kaden Sapp

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Fayette
Jill Stuckey
Ceairia Keller
Liz Maginn
Thomas Ehman
Nathaniel Harvey
Ian Schrock
Koby Biddix
Michael Brubaker
Ryan Gilmore
Dylan Stannard
Hilltop
Jesse Westfall (4.0)
Taylor Tompkins
Brittney Mocherman
Brady Livensparger
Leann Joost
Gabie Johnson
Kailey Creamer
Brooke Chapin
Hannah Bleikamp
Brooke Ashbaugh
Adreyn Yates
Jalen Towers
Dallas Timberman
Jessica Suboski
Shayla Coffman
Justin Ashenfelter
North Central
Abigail Litzenberg
Reese Cogswell
Sabrina Pickford
Macayla Wildrick
Dylan Hutchison
Branden Turner
Jordan Bailey
Colton Pilmore
Brady Cogswell
Taylor Harper

Brooke Schofield
Pettisville
Taylor DAlelio
Audra Klopfenstein
Olivia Wright
Johanna Roth
Brooke Waidelich (4.0)
Shelby Miller (4.0)
Claire Waidelich
Lauren Hostetler
Trisha Cousino
Kaylyn McDermott
Logan Nofziger
Eli King
Noah Miller
Dustin Nofziger
Dominic Frey
Josiah Hoops
Jeremy Mann
Josh Sauder
Jacob Hauter
Kregg York
Stryker
Dean Beamont
Zachary Birky
Jacob Hancock
Kyle Rohrs
Zachary Tingley
Megan Neville
Connor Sullivan
Conner Varner (4.0)
Katie Yoder (4.0)
Zachary Greutman
Derek Opdycke
Christine Huston
Kari Oberlin
Gabrielle Paxton

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2 - The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014

Pettisville Runs Away With The

Eighteen Wauseon &
Montpelier Students Named 2013-14 BBC All-Sports Title
All-NWOAL Scholar Athletes
Eighteen Wauseon And Montpelier Students Named All-NWOAL Scholar Athletes
Competition within the ranks of the
NWOAL is tough. Being named an AllNWOAL Scholar Athlete is even tougher.
To be named to the Spring Scholar Athlete list, a student must be a senior, must
have a 3.5 accumulative grade point average through seven semesters of school,
and must have lettered during the sports
season. It takes a special individual to
successfully excel at high levels in NWOAL
competition AND excel in the classroom as
well.
Those special individuals from Wauseon
and Montpelier who made the grade during
the Spring 2014 season are as follows

Leslie Clark Montpelier Softball

Jessy Duchene Montpelier Softball
Marinna Mercer Montpelier Softball
Regan Steffes Montpelier Softball
Taylor Wells Montpelier Softball
Ty Suntken Wauseon Baseball
Kevin Moden Wauseon Baseball
Clay Tefft Wauseon Baseball
Samantha Norman Wauseon Softball
Justin Mourguet Wauseon Track
Derrick Kamp Wauseon Track
Robert Huss Wauseon Track
Marin Schaffner Wauseon Track
Kathleen Roberts Wauseon Track
Megan Beck Wauseon Track
Olivia Rodriguez Wauseon Track
Chris Yackee Wauseon Tennis
Alex Wenger Wauseon Tennis

Devin Moran Wins Barney

Oldfield Race At Oakshade

Oakshade Raceway hosted the 25th

Annual Barney Oldfield Race on Saturday
night which doubled as an American Late
Model Series event that drew in 45 UMP
Late Models to compete for the $5,000 to
win. Race fans packed the grandstands
and were treated to some very fast racing
action that was highlighted by Devin Morans masterful feature performance.
Moran dove to the inside of Allen Vochaska and Ryan Missler to take the lead
at the start of the 40-lap Barney Oldfield
feature event. Vochaska slipped up high
in turn two on lap seven and faded back
into the field. Moran maintained a huge
lead while patiently working through
lapped traffic until Misslers top five run
ended on lap 28 when he came to a stop
in turn three to bring out the caution flag.
Rusty Schlenk, winner of the last three
Oakshade features and the previous
nights race at Farmer City, almost didnt
make it to the track due to mechanical
problems with his hauler. Schlenks luck
didnt improve. He got crossed up in turn
four on lap 33 while running in the top
five which brought out the yellow flag and
knocked him out of contention.
A couple more late cautions kept the
field tight, with Matt Miller in second after starting on the outside of the fourth
row. Unfortunately for Miller, Moran was
able to pull away on each restart. Devin
Moran picked up his first ever Oakshade
Raceway win in only his second start at
the 3/8 mile bullring. After the race, he
thanked all the great race fans at Oakshade who had come out to support him.
Miller settled for a second place finish
with Dona Marcoullier finishing strong
in third after starting 12th. John Henry
and Brian Ruhlman were the rest of the
top five finishers. Doug Drown had run in
the third position much of the race, but
slipped back to end up sixth.
Mike Jessen moved under Bruce Stuart to lead the first lap of the UMP Sportsman feature race, but Stuart battled back
and took the lead on lap two. Jessen finally took command for good on lap three
with Tim Line eventually moving into second. Line tried to get alongside Jessen for
the remainder of the race, but couldnt get
it done as Jessen took the checkered flag
for the fourth time this season. Lines second place finish was good enough for him
to maintain the Sportsman points lead.
Jamie Grochowski finished off another
great run in third after starting 14th.

Chester Fitch posted a fourth place finish

with Bob Krumm fifth.
Terry Rushlow started on the pole of
the Bomber A Main and had to contend
with Chris Sands in the first part of the
race. Rushlow fought off the challenge and
then point leader Jeff Foks got by Sands
for second. Soon after, Sands got into the
rear of Foks turning him around in traffic.
Foks suffered some damage and fell way
back in the running order, but was able
to continue without a yellow flag. After a
caution for Brandon Leightons spin on
lap four, Rushlow and Sands battled side
by side for the lead. The two drivers traded the lead until Sands got by for good
on lap seven. A couple laps later, Rushlow
slipped up high in turn two and rolled to a
stop on the backstretch. Sands went on to
pick up his first Bomber A Main win with
Jeff Foks rebounding to finish second and
taking the points lead by a single point
over Rushlow. Chris Henry was third followed by Tim Murphy and Curt Dickie
who started 20th.
Junior Jerry Hoot led most of the
Sport Compact feature and had opened a
up a big lead. Unfortunately for him, he
retired to the pits with just two laps to go.
That turned the lead over to John Martis.
Martis managed to hold off Terry Rushlow Sr. who had gotten along side Martis
on the final lap. Martis just barely had
enough and won in a side by side finish
with Rushlow. Brandon Myers finished
third with Sparky Marky Gillingham
fourth followed by father Mark Gillingham
Sr. in fifth.
Steven Pocock put a stop to the Bomber B Main after rolling over in turn two
which brought out the red flag with one
lap complete. Tim Hancock was the leader, but Teri-Lynn Murphy took the lead
away on lap two and went on to pick up
the victory with Chuck Stuckey finishing
second. Hancock slipped back to finish
third with Dan Shaffer and Terry Rump
round out the rest of the top five finishers.
It is the Night of Wheels at Oakshade
Raceway on Saturday, June 28. A large
number of bicycles will be given away at
intermission which will put smiles on a
bunch of kids faces. A full racing program
feature UMP Late Models, Sportsmen,
Bombers and Sport Compacts will also
entertain the entire family with exciting
racing action. Gates open at 4pm with
racing starting at 7pm.

The Pettisville Blackbirds track and place Stryker.

field teams put the 2013-14 BBC AllThe final tally for the 2013-14 BBC AllSports competition out of reach for the re- Sports battle is as follows
mainder of the conference.
Pettisville 50.5
With both track teams taking conferStryker 39.0
ence championships and the softball team
Edon 33.5
placing second to Hilltop, the Battling
Fayette 29.5
Blackbirds finished the 2013-14 campaign
North Central 29.0
with 50.5 points, well ahead of second
Hilltop 28.5

Wauseons Noah Castle Reflects

On National Competition &
Looks Forward To 2015
By: Timothy Kays
THE VILLAGE REPORTER

Noah Castle has seen it all in 2014.

Beginning locally and working his way
through the season as the throwing specialist for the Wauseon Indians Track
Team, his efforts brought spotlights from
the state, and then the national stage
yes, national.
After placing second in the D-II State
Discus Finals in Columbus, Noah qualified to advance to the NSAF New Balance
High School Nationals Outdoor competition held at North Carolina A&T in
Greensboro. On the afternoon of June
15, he placed seventh in the nation in the
discus with a flight of 176 1.
Preseason goals were set and met
during 2014 but there is more out there
that the Big Indian wants to accomplish
in his upcoming senior campaign. Prior
to his departure for basketball camp, he
reflected on the season past, and talked
about what needs to be done to up the
ante in the 2015 season.
Truthfully, it started in the weight
room with Coach (Kyle) Borton, Noah
said in looking back on the season. Wed
go inme, a couple of throwers and two
or three runners. Wed go in at six in the
morning before school and lifted. Especially the throwsthe stronger you can
be, the better youre going to be. There
was a lot of technique work, especially in
the discus. Youve got to get your turn
down if you want to throw any distance
at all. Its a lot of workin the gym when
its too cold, and outside, its a lot of work
out there, too. Honestly, the biggest as-

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set I had was Coach Borton as a coach.

He threw at the University of Cincinnati
in college, so hes very knowledgeable.
He pretty much got me to where we are
now.
As the season progressed, Noah got
steadily better, but being a member of
the NWOAL, he found himself competing
against the likes of Nick Demaline (2014
D-III State Champion in the shot) of Liberty Center and Marcus Myers (D-III Tiffin Regional Champion and third place at
State in the discus) of Patrick Henry. In
the NWOAL meet, Noah finished second
in the shot behind Demaline, who easily won the event with a conference record smashing throw of 62 4, breaking
the 12-year old mark of Wauseons Dave
Bzovi by nearly three feet. There was
more than one record to go by the boards
on that day though, and it came in the
discus. Noah launched the platter 176
7, breaking a decade-old mark, and relegating Myers to second by over ten feet,
and Demaline to third by close to twenty.
Going into the league meet, I had just
thrown for the school record at Elmwood
at 189 1, and Marcus had just thrown
in the high 160s, Noah recalled. Going
in, I was thinking win the disc. I knew
the record was within reach, so I wanted
to break the record. In the shot, I was
hoping to get second because Nicks out
there throwing 62 feet, which this year
wasnt going to happen for me. I was just
hoping to hold on to second, which we
did. We won the league and broke the record ...

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COACHES: PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR JUNIOR HIGH - VARSITY RESULTS SO WE CAN HONOR YOUR ATHLETES: EMAIL: SPORTS@THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM / FAX: (877) 778-9425

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014

The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action - 3

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Wauseons Noah Castle Reflects On National Competition ...

It wasnt by as much as we wanted, but after a really good

meet (Elmwood), you usually dont come right back and
top it. I was pretty happy with how it went.
The regular season came to a close, bringing about the
postseason, beginning with the D-II Districts at Defiance.
There, Noah won the shot put event to advance to the D-II
Regionals at Dayton. The real eye opener came in the discus event. It was there that Noah exploded into the spotlight. His throw of 178 5 not only won the event, it was
not even close. Sam Meece of Napoleon finished second
to Noahmore than 30 feet behind. The Big Indian was
on his way to Regionals as a double District Champion,
and his preparation for the postseason had him peaking
at the right time.
There are differences between the regular and postseasons. First of all, the format is different, Noah explained.
In the regular season you get four throws, but in the
postseason you get three in the prelims and three in the
finals. For me at Districts and Regionals, where we knew
that I was probably going to win, it was the pressure of
not fouling. You dont want to be the guy whos supposed
to win by 30 feet, then you foul out at Districts and your
seasons over. I think that its more of an emphasis of
going out and getting a relaxed first throw, and not just
going out and trying to blow the doors off the competition.
Its just work your way into the finals, into a good throw,
and then into a winning throw. The Regional shot put
didnt follow that model, and I think thats why we struggled so much. I rushed two throws in prelims and fouled
them, then made it into the finals, rushed and fouled two
more. I think that its important in the maturing process
to handle that relaxed first throw.
As he eluded, the shot was not kind to Noah at the
D-II Regionals where he finished eighth overall at 45
11.5. The discus, once again, was another story. There
were four Regional events running simultaneously across
Ohio, and Noah was throwing in Region 8 in Dayton. All
season, Noah had throws that were record setters, but he
saved his most convincing for the event that would send
him to the State Finals. Noah won the D-II Regionals with
a throw of 179 4, shattering the D-II Region 8 mark of
171 1 set by T. J. Lyons of St. Paris Graham Local back
in 2005. Looking at the results from the other three regions across the state, the top discus throw coming out
of the D-II Regional ranks belonged to the kid from Tribe
TownNoah Castle.
At the D-II State Finals, Noah was cruising until the
fifth throw. It was there that Trevor Detillion of UnionScioto was able to get off a throw of 181 feet, his best
throw and the only one that he had that topped Noah who
had already exceeded 180 feet twice. Still, that one throw
proved to be the difference as he edged out the Big Indian
for the State Championship by ten inches, putting Noah
into second place. With throws that high though, Noah
was a qualifier for the next levelthe Nationals.
We had talked about it (the Nationals) earlier in the
year, Noah said. Being a good thrower, you meet other
good throwers and talk amongst yourselves. Nationals is
really something that we wanted to do from the beginning
of the year. You have to hit a qualifying mark, which I
think is 170 feet. You then put an entry in, and the top

PHOTO BY TIMOTHY KAYS, STAFF

A MAN WITH A PLAN ... Noah Castle has big plans for
2015, which include a new D-II State record and another
appearance at the Nationals.
16 entries get to go. I think that I was seeded fourth or
fifth going into Nationals. We trained extremely hard that
week leading up.
Being the seventh best in the United States is something that most people would be giddy over. Noah, however, is not most people. The really disappointing thing
about being seventh at Nationals, he said, was throwing 200 feet in practice, and throwing a 197 in warm-ups,
then coming out and only throwing a 176 in the meet.
When asked why he felt things shook out the way they
did, Noah was quick to own up to it. It goes back to me
not following the plan of action. It was get a big throw
get a big throw instead of working on the pieces that will
get you up to a big throw, like keeping your left arm back
or getting a bigger sweep out of the back instead of trying
to whip your arm hard and throw it far. I think I missed
being an All-American by one or two inches to the same
guy that beat me at State by ten inchesthat kinda hurt.

Looking back at it with some hindsight perspectivegetting seventh at Nationals as a junior isnt too bad.
Looking back at the 2014 campaign, Noah sees the
development he has personally made, and is looking forward to building upon that development when the 2015
season rolls around. Coach Borton and I had talked at
the end of my sophomore year about what we wanted our
junior year to look like, Noah said. I think that the goal
we wanted to hit was 185, and top four in the state again.
We passed the distance mark. We passed our placing at
State mark, and getting seventh at Nationals. Everyone
has high hopes at the beginning of the year that surpasses what we want for the year. Its really going to be a big
building block for next year.
The plans for the 2015 campaign are already in place,
according to Noah. Weve set more goals. We talked down
in North Carolina about what we wanted my senior year
to look like. Hopefully it ends with something near the
State record at 203, the State Championship, and top
three at Nationals. Those are the goals for next year. To
accomplish these goals, Coach Borton and Noah see the
work ahead. More work in the weight room, and a lot
of technique. The biggest thing for me right now is holding my left through the center of the ring. When you get
through your turn, the farther you can land with your left
back, the farther youre going to be able to throw. It offers
a lot more explosion if you can keep it back, so you can
really rotate your hips through all the way. I think that at
Nationals, that was the biggest thing. Everything else at
Nationals was perfect, but I wasnt holding my left, which
pretty much screwed everything else up.
The 2015 track and field season is not quite a year in
the offing. Right now, Noahs primary concern is developing his skills at being a profound pain in the lane to
anybody with the nerve to try to drive through the middle
against him during the Tribe hoops season. There will be
continued work in the weight room though, and a continued focus on technique in the discus throw. Noah went
from fourth place and 169 feet in Columbus his sophomore year, to 180 feet and runner-up at State as a junior.
With continued work and fine tuning, Noah Castle is well
on his way to being the latest Wauseon Indian to climb to
the top of the podium in Columbus, while attaining AllAmerican status in the Nationals.
Timothy Kays can be reached at
tim@thevillagereporter.com

Dr. Roger L. Saneholtz

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4 - The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014