VW independent sports
HAMLER — Crestview’s baseball season came to a heartbreaking end in the Division VI sectional title game on Monday, as the Knights fell to No. 2 seed Patrick Henry 6-5.
The No. 7 seed Knights (7-11) gave the Patriots all they could handle. Crestview led 4-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, but Patrick Henry scored three runs to tie the game. A single by Braxtyn Couts scored Zaine Cereghin in the top of the seventh and gave the Knights a 5-4 lead, but the Patriots tied the game 5-5 on an RBI single by Mack Hieber. After that, Jackson Neienburg’s RBI single provided the walk-off win.
Crestview’s first run came in the second inning when Jace Wehner doubled home Couts. Patrick Henry tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the third, but a two-RBI single by Owen Heckler put the Knights ahead 3-1. Conner Hammons belted a solo homer in the sixth to increase Crestview’s lead to 4-1.
Despite the loss, first year head coach Kole Rolesten found a silver lining.
Denver McDougall and Evin Brincefield each finished with two hits for Crestview.
“Our guys stayed the course and kept getting better,” he said. “I’m proud of their effort and growth.”
POSTED: 05/25/26 at 6:42 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
The Lincolnview Lancers won their eighth straight sectional championship with Saturday’s five inning, 22-0 win over Northwood in the Division VI title game. The Lancers scored 10 runs in the first inning, five in the second and seven in the fourth. Max Hammons and Evan Rahrig each drove in four runs and Seth Brant and Case Young each had three RBIs. Chayse Overholt, Garret Mosier and Graham Kill teamed up to fan 12 Rangers batters. The Lancers (19-6) will face Wayne Trace in the district semifinals Wednesday in Napoleon. Photo provided
POSTED: 05/25/26 at 6:41 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Van Wert’s track and field team will have nice representation at the Piqua Division III regional this week. Haven Hunt will compete in the 100 meter dash, while district champion Micah Cowan will compete in the 300 meter hurdles. Evan Kneuke is a regional qualifier in the 800 meter dash, as is Flannery Foster in the discus. Also qualifying for regionals: the girls 4×400 relay team of Ruby Dicke, Leah Krites, Harper Roop and Hunt, and the boys 4×800 relay team of Kneuke, Harrison Sloan, Jayden White and Alex Bauer. Photo provided
POSTED: 05/25/26 at 6:41 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
DEFIANCE — Six first place finishers and a pair of runner-up finishers helped Crestview capture the Division V Ayersville district championship last week.
Lincoln Smith captured the 1600 meter (4:27.28) and 3200 meter (9:58.05) championships, while Hayden Perrott was the 400 meter dash champion (51.36). The 4×100 relay team of Liam Putman, Drayden Hoffman, Braxton Leeth and Brentyn Rodriguez (44.42) won the district championship, along with the 4×200 team of Putman, Hoffman, Leeth and Perrott (1:31.88), and the 4×400 team of Leeth, Perrott, Rodriguez and Kale Vining (3:31).
Hoffman finished second in the 200 meter dash and third in the 100 meter dash. Hudson Perrott was the runner-up in the 1600 meter run, as was Derek Young in the 3200 meter run.
Lincolnview’s Noah Peters is regional bound, after winning the 110 meter hurdles with a career best time of 14.78 and finishing as the runner-up in the 300 meter hurdles. Lucas Grubb moved on to regionals in the long jump (19-11.75)
The Crestview girls placed sixth and had five regional qualifiers – Graylie Grose in the 100 meter dash, Anna Gardner in the 3200 meter run, Ellieanah Ward in the long jump and Gross, Ward, Lydia Grace and Delanie Balliet in the 4×100 relay.
Competing in the Division IV district at Findley, Lincolnview’s Brynleigh Moody qualified for regionals with a third place finish in the 800 meter run, while Annabel Horstman moved on in the 300 meter hurdles with a fourth place finish. The 4×800 relay team of Moody, Joey-Kate Carey, Brooklyn Byrne and Horstman qualified for regionals with a district runner-up finish while Beth Hughes punched her ticket to regionals with a third place finish in the shot put.
Division IV regionals will be held in Fostoria.
POSTED: 05/25/26 at 6:40 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
DELPHOS — After mulling an offer to change conference affliation, Delphos St. John’s is staying put.
A press release issued Friday morning stated St. John the Evangelist Catholic School has decided to remain a member of the Midwest Athletic Conference (MAC).
“Following an invitation from the Northwest Conference, this decision was made after a comprehensive evaluation of the school’s athletic program, its mission, and long-term goals, as well as discussions between school leadership, coaches, and school supporters,” the school said in a statement. “St. John the Evangelist Catholic School will continue to build upon the strong foundation of faith, tradition and excellence that has been established by so many Blue Jays past and present.”
Earlier this year, the Northwest Conference extended invitations to Delphos St. John’s and fellow MAC member Parkway to join the NWC. Parkway too, declined the invitation after hearing from district residents and alumni. Both Delphos St. John’s and Parkway were also extended invitations in 2023, but both declined.
The Midwest Athletic Conference is comprised of Coldwater, Delphos St. John’s, Fort Recovery, Marion Local, Minster, New Bremen, New Knoxville, Parkway, St. Henry, and Versailles. Anna is a football-only member. The MAC is considered the premiere small school conference in Ohio and one of the top ones in the country.
The Northwest Conference is made up of Allen East, Bluffton, Crestview, Columbus Grove (also a member of the Putnam County League), Delphos Jefferson, Lima Central Catholic, Lincolnview and Spencerville, with Fort Loramie as a football-only member. However, the conference has been in a state of flux over the last five years. Paulding left for the Green Meadows Conference in 2021 and was replaced by Leipsic, who left in 2024 for the Blanchard Valley Conference, along with Ada. After leaving in 2013, Lima Central Catholic rejoined the conference in 2024, along with Fort Loramie just for football.
POSTED: 05/22/26 at 9:04 am. FILED UNDER: Sports
Just call them district champions. Lincolnview captured a Division VI district championship with a 3-0 win over Fairview Thursday at Wapakoneta. Ila Hughes held the Apaches in check by scattering four hits and striking out 12. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when the Lancers scored two runs on a pair of errors. In the sixth Makayla Marsee singled home Kassidy Hammons. Lincolnview (19-6) will face Patrick Henry in the regional semifinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Bowling Green State University. Photo submitted
POSTED: 05/21/26 at 8:27 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Van Wert 4 Upper Sandusky 1
UPPER SANDUSKY — No. 6 seed Van Wert captured a Division IV sectional championship with a 4-1 win over No. 5 seed Upper Sandusky on Thursday.
The win puts the Cougars (12-12) in the district semifinals against No. 1 seed Bath at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fort Jennings.
Two of Van Wert’s runs came in the first inning. After Griffin McCracken opened the game with a single, Finley Dickinson reached first base on an error. After an out, Easton Putman singled home McCracken. Dickinson then scored on an error, the second of five committed by the Rams. In the third inning, the Cougars added a run when McCracken singled in Brayson Davis. In the fifth inning, a two out single by Alex Benner scored Putman and gave Van Wert a 4-1 lead. Upper Sandusky’s only run came in the seventh.
Conner Harris pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just three hits while striking out two and walking three. Dickinson closed out the game and gave up a hit with a pair of strikeouts and walks. McCracken had two of Van Wert’s five hits.
Coldwater 5 Lincolnview 0
COLDWATER — In a late regular season game, Coldwater scored three runs in the first inning and went on to blank Lincolnview 5-0 on Thursday.
Four Coldwater pitchers combined to hold the Lancers to three hits, and Graham Kill, Gavin Evans and Holden Price teamed up to hold Coldwater to three hits with seven strikeouts.
Coldwater’s first inning runs came on an error, a hit batsman while the bases were loaded and a bases loaded walk. The Cavaliers (20-4) then added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Lancers (18-6) will host Northwood in the Division VI sectional finals at 2 p.m. Saturday.
POSTED: 05/21/26 at 8:26 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Van Wert’s Zach Stoller competed at the Division II tennis district on Thursday and the junior opened with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Eian Etchill of Sandusky St. Mary’s Central Catholic, then recorded Cooper Brokaw 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. However, Henrique Marson of Ottawa Hills ended Stoller’s season in the semifinals, 6-1, 6-1. Stoller, who was named second team All-District, is pictured with head coach Mitch Price and Mark Verville. Photo provided
POSTED: 05/21/26 at 8:26 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Crestview 6 Toledo Christian 3
CONVOY — Zaine Cereghin helped seventh seeded Crestview get off to a good start and the Knights advanced to the Division VI sectional championship game with a 6-3 semifinal win over No. 8 seed Toledo Christian on Wednesday.
Cereghin’s two-RBI single in the first inning plated Luke Sawmiller and Huxley Grose and the Knights enjoyed the lead for the entire game. The Eagles got on the board in the second inning with an RBI single by Carter Kirsch, but Crestview answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning, including a two out RBI single by Denver McDougall that allowed Conner Hammons to score, which increased the lead to 4-1. Sawmiller singled and knocked in Jace Wehner in the fourth and Hammons in the sixth inning. Toledo Christian’s remaining two runs came in fifth.
Sawmiller went 3-of-4 at the plate with two RBIs. On the mound, Owen Hecker allowed five hits over 5.1 innings with four strikeouts and a walk, while Braxtyn Couts pitched the remainder of the game and gave up a single hit.
The Knights will travel to Hamler to face No. 2 seed Patrick Henry in the sectional championship game at noon on Saturday.
Delphos St. John’s 10 Lincolnview 1
DELPHOS — In a rematch of a weekend game, Delphos St. John’s turned the tables and defeated Lincolnview 10-1 in a regular season game on Wednesday.
The Blue Jays plated three runs in the first and led 3-1. Lincolnview’s run came when Grant Zielke singled home Holden Price. The big blow came in the third, when Delphos St. John’s scored five runs to increase the lead to 8-1. The remaining two runs were scored in fifth.
Zielke had two of Lincolnview’s six hits, while Cam Elwer, Logan Duncan and Aidan Swick each had two hits for the Blue Jays. Andrew Elwer earned the complete game win with two strikeouts and four walks.
Lincolnview (18-5) will play at Coldwater today.
POSTED: 05/20/26 at 8:20 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
WAPAKONETA — Ila Hughes pitched a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts and a pair of walks to lead No. 2 seed Lincolnview to a 5-1 win over No. 5 seed Coldwater in the Division VI district semifinals at Wapakoneta on Tuesday.
Hughes retired nine straight batters in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
The Lancers scored two first inning runs on back-to-back bases loaded walks then in the second inning, a single by Bella Hire plated Emme Stevens and Hughes for a 4-0 lead. Coldwater’s only run came in the top of the fourth on a wild pitch. In the sixth inning, Hire doubled in Lainey Spear for the game’s final run. Hire finished with three of Lincolnview’s seven hits.
Lincolnview (18-6) will face Fairview in the district finals at 5 p.m. Thursday at Wapakoneta.
POSTED: 05/19/26 at 9:52 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
