Is there any more that can be said about the Trump-incited mob that attacked the U.S. Capital Building yesterday that has not already been voiced by someone? I’m sure there will be, but will it change what happened? Of course not. Will it make any difference? We can only hope and pray. The tragic event that took place on Capital Hill on January 6, 2021 will now take it’s rightful place in the “Where Were You When” category of American history under the “Shameful, Needless and Preventable” sub-group.
So, who do we blame? Better yet, who do we not blame? We all saw it coming and we all let it happen. Donald Trump began constructing this bomb since the beginning of the 2016 Presidential campaign. When, to the surprise of many, including Donald himself, he won the election, he moved his bomb making lab into the White House. From there he began to perfect his weapons of mass distraction and test fired one every time he found himself in political hot waters. Yesterday he launched his most destructive and lethal one to date. And, hopefully, his last.
Finally, after yesterday’s insurrection which failed to achieve Trump’s objective, Donald is agreeing to a “smooth and peaceful” transition of power. If true, it comes two months too late. But nobody will be holding their breath waiting for it to happen. Regardless, Donald and the Trump family will be out of office in less than two weeks. The next question is how do we recover and where do we go from here?
Undoubtedly, it will take many years, a lot of work and a lot more understanding, compromise and forgiveness to heal our nation. We have never been more divided in a four year stretch since the years of 1861 to 1865. Obviously, our differences and disagreements over past four years pale in comparison to what took place 160 years ago so it gives us much hope that we come back from this and return to the great nation and role model to the rest of the world we used to be.
For now, the causes behind the self-inflicted black eye American suffered on Capital Hill yesterday will be analyzed and debated in search of a vaccine that will protect us from repeating a similar attack of our democracy. Many will still argue in support of the violence but their voices will fade and reason will take hold. I still have faith in America.
My name is Bill O’Connell and I live in Swanton, Ohio, a village of approximately 3700 residents located about 15 miles west of Toledo. I retired in 2012 and began helping my family restore and re-open a shuttered bowling center and banquet hall which took just over one year. Several months after it was up and running I began working as a sub-contracted sports journalist/photographer for the Swanton Enterprise and Fulton County Expositor. Just short of two years with those two weekly papers I took a similar position with the Village Reporter, a weekly publication that covered Fulton and Williams County and held that for almost four years. While with the Reporter I covered virtually every type of event from sports to festivals to council and school board meetings to business ribbon cuttings.
Now I am trying something very similar in substance but very different from a technology aspect, a blog and website. My plan is to continue covering local sports, including all seven Fulton County school districts with photography and short articles along with human interest stories from around Fulton County. I will also write editorials on various subjects and will continue a daily cartoon called “About Face” that I now post on my Facebook page. To start, there will be very few postings on my site but my goal is to develop it over the next few months. Also, any photos I publish can be copied for no charge. I will be looking for an easier way to make my photos available. Please let any of your friends and relatives know about my site if you think they may be interested. Thank you.
Inspired by the unlikely return of senior standout Troy Manz from what was initially believed to be a season-ending knee injury, the Evergreen Vikings exploded out of the gate and steamrolled the visiting Swanton Bulldogs 84-48 at the “Big House” on Friday night in NWOAL basketball action. Manz and fellow senior Quinten Eisel combined for 21 first half points in staking Evergreen to a 42-22 lead as the teams went to the locker room.
In the third quarter the Vikings continued their scoring blitz putting up 32 points to the Bulldogs’ 20 and eventually triggered a running clock in the fourth quarter when the advantage hit the 35-pont mark. With just over five minutes remaining in the game, Evergreen coach Kyle Bostater emptied his bench to finish out the contest.
Manz and Eisel tied for game-high scoring honors with 21 points each, Manz draining shots from the outside including three from beyond the arc and Eisel dominating inside with most of his baskets coming off the glass. Goerge Allendorf tossed in 18 points in the win. Brady O’Shea and Brady Haselman both scored 11 points to lead the Bulldogs and Owen Hurst had six.
The Evergreen victory moves their record in the NWOAL to 2-4 and they are 12-9 on the season. They will next play at home against the Delta Panthers on Friday night to finish league play. Swanton is 0-6 in the league and 6-13 overall. They will play the Toledo Christian Eagles on Wednesday at home on Senior Night.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Troy Manz is introduced before his first game back from injury
This past Tuesday (Boys) and Thursday (Girls) at River City Bowl-A-Way in Napoleon, an OHSAA Division II Sectional Bowling Tournament was held with the top four teams and top four non-team qualifiers advancing to the District Tournament next week. Four schools from Fulton County, Delta, Evergreen, Swanton and Wauseon, entered a boys’ and a girls’ team, but none were able to crack the top four. Coach Chuck Carr’s Wauseon Lady Indians squad came as close as possible without qualifying, finishing in 5th place, just a single pin behind the Patrick Henry Lady Patriots, 3064-3063.
However, Wauseon will be sending senior Kymberlee Yocom who rolled a three-game (169 + 147 + 192 = 508) series. Also advancing to Districts is Swanton junior Emma Leonard with her three-game (176 + 140 + 160 = 478) series.
On the boys’ side, Wauseon freshman Jacob Yocom, brother of Kymberlee, fired a three-game (224 + 211 + 213 = 648) series, finishing in third place overall. Joining Jacob at the District Tournament will be Evergreen senior Xavier Robinette who bowled a three-game (218 + 156 + 219 = 593) series.
The OHSAA Division II District Bowling Tournament will be held at Interstate Lanes at 819 Lime City Road in Rossford. The girls will be bowling on Tuesday at 10:00 AM and the boys will be bowling on Thursday at 10:00 AM.
The Evergreen Lady Vikings quickly erased an early 6-3 deficit by closing out the first quarter with a 13-0 run and went on to defeat the Swanton Lady Bulldogs 57-25 on Thursday night at Kevin J. McQuade Gymnasium in Swanton. Lanae Manz powered the route by scoring 24 points and Avery Emmitt added 10. Lauren Bettinger led Swanton with 12 points and Carli LaGrange had eight.
The Evergreen victory places their final regular season record at 12-10 and 2-5 in the NWOAL. The Lady Vikings will next return home to face the Liberty Center Tigers on Thursday at 6:00 PM in the first round of the OHSAA DVI Girls Basketball Playoffs.
With the loss, Swanton finishes their league record at 0-7 and puts their mark overall at 4-17 with an afternoon home game at 1:00 PM today against the Montpelier Lady Locomotives. They will travel to Elmwood High School on Saturday at 2:00 PM to take on the Lady Royals in the first game of the OHSAA DV Girls Basketball Playoffs.
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Lanae Manz goes up for two of her game-high 24 points
Entering the NWOAL Bowling Tournament held Saturday at the Swanton Sports Center, Wauseon held first place with (10) points, one more than Liberty Center (9) and two more than Bryan (8) in the race for the Boys’ title. At the end of the day, the Golden Bears won the tournament with a pin count of 3527, edging out the Tigers by 13 pins at 3514 and the Indians by 15 pins at 3512. When the awarded tournament points were combined with the regular season points, the three top teams totaled 15 points, resulting in a three-way tie for the 2026 Championship. Rounding out the rest of the field was the Evergreen Vikings (3477), Patrick Henry Patriots (3283), Swanton Bulldogs (2570) and Delta Panthers (2373).
Bryan’s Noah Mills won the individual Tournament Championship with a three-game series of 682. Wesley Wilhelm of Liberty Center finished second with a 659, Thomas Baker of Evergreen was third at 588, Evan Stevens of Wauseon came in fourth at 564 and Stone Roth of Liberty Center completed the top five at 550.
First Team All NWOAL Honors, determined by a bowler’s regular season, went to Wesly Wilhelm (221.04) of Liberty Center, Jacob Yocom (203.04) of Wauseon, Quinton Colburn (201.61) of Patrick Henry, Kolton Barnhisel (201.05) of Patrick Henry, and Stone Roth (195.71) of Liberty Center.
Second Team: Noah Mills (195.00) of Bryan, Evan Stevens (192.07) of Wauseon, Michah Smith (188.26) of Bryan, Noha Geren (187.35) of Bryan, Maddox Oyer (183.67) of Liberty Center.
Honorable Mention: Thomas Baker (183.65) of Evergreen, Owen Gebers (179.50) of Liberty Center, Marcello Miracola (178.52) of Delta, Xaviar Robinette (176.65) of Evergreen, Derek Munding (176.32) of Patrick Henry.
Boys Coach of the Year: Kody Moden – Wauseon
There was no such drama on the girls’ side with Bryan winning the regular season and the Tournament Championship with (12 + 7 = 19 points) over Wauseon (9 + 6 = 15) and Liberty Center (8 + 5 = 13). The final Tournament pin count was the Bryan Lady Golden Bears (3414), Wauseon Lady Indians (3227), Liberty Center Lady Tigers (3074), Patrick Henry Lady Patriots (2879), Evergreen Lady Vikings (2678), Delta Lady Panthers (2653) and Swanton Lady Bulldogs (2485).
Bryan’s Zoey Gillett fired a three-game series 699 to win the individual Tournament Championship and out shoot all bowlers, boys or girls, on the day. Kymberlee Yocom of Wauseon finished second with a 598, Ruth Shelt of Wauseon was third with a 576, Annaliese Keene of Liberty Center came in fourth at 562 and Emma Leonard of Swanton rounded out the top five with a 538.
First Team All NWOAL Honors, determined by a bowler’s regular season went to Zoey Gillett (203.46) of Bryan, Kimberlee Yocom (200.96) of Wauseon, Cheyenne Miller (189.57), Ruth Shelt (186.07) of Wauseon, Meadow Goebel (181.78) of Bryan.
Second Team: Polly Sleesman (173.96) of Bryan, Emma Leonard (173.74) of Swanton, Paige White (169.50) of Liberty Center, Mya Federspiel (165.19) of Bryan, Leah Geahlen (164.58) of Patrick Henry.
Honorable Mention: Claire Piercefield (159.16) of Patrick Henry, Annaliese Keene (159.14) of Liberty Center, Lana Breece (154.62) of Patrick Henry, Josie Spires (153.85) of Wauseon, Natalie Cavanaugh (151.58) of Patrick Henry.
Girls Coach of the Year: Ron Leonard – Swanton
Click on the link above to access photos from the tournament. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Wauseon Boys tied Bryan and Liberty Center for the title
Facing an eight-point deficit early in the second quarter, the Swanton Bulldogs went on a 14-0 run to close out the first half and went on to capture the NWOAL 8th Grade Boys Basketball Tournament Championship, 41-34, over the Archbold Blue Streaks in the “Big House” at Evergreen High School. Carson Braden started the run with his first of five three-point bombs and the Bulldogs took an 18-12 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Swanton outscored Archbold 16-13 in the third quarter, giving the top-seeded Bulldogs a nine-point advantage with one period to play. However, the Streaks rallied back with six straight points to start the fourth quarter and eventually pulled within four before another triple from Braden, his 23rd point of the contest, and two critical free throws from Nick Goings sealed the victory.
For this group of players and coaches, it was back-to-back championships after having won the title last year as 7th graders. “First, I want to thank the parents for allowing me to coach their tremendous sons. The kids played their tails off today. We started slow the last couple of games but turned it on when we needed to. The unselfish play of the kids is amazing. They just want to win and it doesn’t matter who is scoring. I am just so thankful for each and every one of them,” said Coach Tim Nelson. “I also want to thank coaches Braden, Thornton, and Borojevich. Thank you to the community of Swanton for the tremendous support all year. GO BULLDOGS.
Archbold Blue Streaks: 7-5-13-14 = 34 Grant Cover (16), Collin Rodriguez (6), Gus Babcock (5), Henry Throne (4), Kane Overmier (3)
Swanton Bulldogs: 2-16-16-7 = 41 Carson Braden (23), Nick Goings (8), Gabe Lennex (6), Chase Bergman (4)
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website
Photo: Swanton Bulldogs – NWOAL 2026 8th Grade Boys Basketball Champions
The Swanton Lady Bulldogs honored their two seniors, Lauren Bettinger and Carli LaGrange, on Monday night then watched the two carry their team to a thrilling 48-46 victory over the Lady Blackbirds of Pettisville in a non-league contest. Bettinger hit for a game-high 20 points, just one point off her career high and Lagrange knocked down 14 points including draining 8 of 9 free throws. Pettisville senior Becca Strauss scored 19 points for the Blackbirds and Madison Miller added 10.
Swanton improves their record on the season to 4-15. They next travel to Defiance to take on the Lady Bulldogs
Pettisville Lady Blackbirds: 12-8-8-18 = 46 Becca Strauss (19), Madison Miller (10), Hannah Fox (6), Addison Davis (6), Grace Hastings (3), Brynnley Schwartz (2)
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Last Monday, before tip-off of the Swanton Lady Bulldogs and Pettisville Lady Black Birds basketball game, Swanton High School recognized two seniors, Lauren Bettinger and Carli LaGrange, for their contributions to the Lady Bulldog basketball program. Betty Jo Sadowski, retired Swanton Local Schools teacher, introduced the seniors and read a short bio for each.
Our first senior is Lauren Bettinger. Lauren is being escorted by Kristi Bettinger. While at Swanton High School, Lauren has participated in soccer, basketball, track, National Honor Society, Interact and Frosh Fresh. Her future plans are to attend college to major in biology on a pre-med pathway and to pursue a career as a neuro-oncologist.
Our last senior is Carli LaGrange. Carli is being escorted by Theresa and Bill LaGrange. While at Swanton High School, Carli has participated in basketball, softball, National Honor Society, Frosh Fest and Prom Committee. Her future plans are to attend Bowling Green State University for AYA Integrated Social Studies Education to become a middle school or high school teacher.
Click on the link above to access photos from the celebration. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Lauren Bettinger (10) and Carli LaGrange (25)
This past Friday night at the Kevin J. McQuade Gymnasium in Swanton, the Archbold Blue Streaks managed to shoot just 60.7% from the foul line while the Swanton Bulldogs were a little better with 66.7%. However, percentages can be misleading in explaining an outcome, in this case, a 61-55 NWOAL victory for the visiting Streaks. Archbold took 28 attempts from charity stripe and made 17. Swanton had only three attempts and made two.
The 15-point free throw differential helped the Blue Streaks overcome a seven-point first half deficit with a 30-8 advantage third quarter an allowed them to hold on at the end of the games when the Bulldogs pulled within two-points with under a minute left.
Archbold’s Wyatt Gericke led all scorers with 25 points including hitting 13 of 18 free throws, Tripp Langenderfer dropped in 22 including three treys. Evan Reinhard scored 22 points for the Bulldogs with four baskets from beyond the arc. Brady Haselman contributed 14 points and Brady O’Shea added 10.
The win places Archbold’s record at 2-1 in the league and 10-4 overall. They next face the Wauseon Indians (2-1/5-10) at home in the Thunderdome on Friday. Swanton drops to 0-3 in the NWOAL and 5-10 on the season. They will be at home for their next league game on Friday against the Bryan Golden Bears (1-2/4-11).
Archbold Blue Streaks: 11-12-30-18 = 61 Wyatt Gericke (25), Tripp Langenderfer (22), Morgan Harris (6), Collin Short (5), Maddox Pinter (3)
Click on the link above to access photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Wyatt Gericke during pre-game introductions
The Delta Panthers Bowling teams celebrated Senior Night on Friday at the Swanton Spots Center, recognizing Gracie Bashears, Kallie Leonard and Marcello Miracola for their contributions to the program. Following the ceremony and led by two of the seniors, they swept both matches from their “housemates”, the Swanton Bulldogs.
On the boys’ side, Marcello rolled a two-game series of 388, including a 211 game as the Panthers defeated a depleted Bulldog team 1764-1373. Nick Trumbull shot a 341 series for Swanton. In the girls’ match, Gracie fired a two-game series 381 including a match-high game of 223 to carry the Lady Panthers over the Lady Bulldogs 1786-1616. Emma Leonard topped Swanton with a 368 series including a 213 game.
Click on the link above to access photos from the day. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
On Friday afternoon in the Swanton High School Media Center, a luncheon was held for the induction of Benjamin Lang and Abby (Kolodziejczyk) Wolfrum into the Swanton Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Mr. Christopher Lake, Superintendent of Swanton Local Schools, welcomed the inductees, their family members and all other guests and read a list of their qualifying accomplishments.
The Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame was developed to recognize and honor Swanton Local School graduates or alumni (individuals who attended a Swanton School at some time) who have achieved significant success in their chosen career fields, and to provide outstanding role models for the students of the Swanton Local School District.
Benjamin Lang is a 1994 graduate of Swanton High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with high honors, from the University of Cincinnati in 1999 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 2003, where he served as student body president.
Ben is a corporate partner at the global law firm Jones Day, based in its Tokyo office. His interest in Japan began with a homestay experience in sixth grade and continued through Japanese language while studies at Swanton High School and the University of Toledo while still in high school. While attending the University of Cincinnati, Ben completed two formative co-op experiences — one in environmental remediation consulting and another as a research intern in a polymer laboratory near Kyoto, Japan –ultimately leading him to pursue a legal career focused on international work.
After graduating from law school, Ben began his career in New York City before relocating to Tokyo in 2005, where he became a partner in 2013. His practice focuses on the life sciences industry, facilitating cross-border mergers, acquisitions, licensing agreements and other transactions that support the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Ben is highly ranked internationally by Chambers and IFLR and works with clients in both English and Japanese.
In addition to his professional work, Ben maintains an active pro bono profit organizations in Japan, the United – practice, supporting non-profit organizations in Japan, the United States, and Northwest Ohio. He remains deeply connected to Swanton, providing ongoing support to the Swanton Local Schools Foundation, Swanton Band Boosters, and the Swanton Public Library.
Ben lives in central Tokyo with his wife, Aki, and their five daughters. He also serves as a trustee of the American School in Japan, and his family looks forward each year to returning to Swanton for the Swanton Corn Festival.
Abby (Kolodziejczyk) Wolfrum is a 2002 graduate of Swanton High School. During her time at Swanton, she was active in soccer, band, choir, show choir, basketball cheerleading, student council, and high school musicals — having first appeared on stage as Gretel in the Sound of Music in second grade.
Abby earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology/Chemistry from Defiance College in 2006, where she continued her involvement in soccer, theatre, choir, ecology club, dance team, and served as a Student Ambassador. She later returned to Defiance College, working nearly a decade in enrollment management as an admissions and financial aid counselor, and ultimately as Assistant Registrar, while earning her Master of Arts in Education in 2014. During this time, she served on both cheerleading and multiple campus committees and advised ambassador programs.
Her professional experience also includes serving as Director of Finance at K. Kern Painting, LLC, and as a caregiver at Kaitlyn’s Cottage, a respite care facility for individuals with developmental disabilities.
In 2021, Abby became the Executive Director of the United Way of Defiance County, where she leads fundraising efforts, builds community partnerships, and oversees programs supporting local families, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Backpack Buddies, Kindertgarten Camp, and the new Defiance RIDES transportation initiative.
Abby is a recipient of the Defiance Area Chamber of Commerce’s 4 Under 40 Award Under, a graduate of Leadership Defiance County and an active member of both the Defiance and Hicksville Rotary Clubs. She also volunteers with Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine, Christian youth retreats, and medical mission trips to Mexico. Abby and her husband, Jonathan, live in Defiance with their five children and enjoy supporting their many school and sporting activities.
Later in the evening, during halftime of the Swanton/Archbold boys basketball game, Benjamin and Abbey were introduced to the crowd and had their bios read to the audience.
Click on the link above to access photos from the ceremony. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and an be downloaded and shared for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Photo: Benjamin Lang and Abby (Kolodziejczyk) Wolfrum
Fulton County Ohio Media 