Fulton County Ohio Media

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On Thursday night, under the lights of Panther Stadium, the Delta Lady Panthers celebrated Senior Night by saying thank you and goodbye to five of their teammates. The five Senior Lady Panthers were Evelyn Demaline #8, Skylar Boulton #14, Peyton Taylor #15, Kendal Sprow #20, and Elizabeth Schlatter #23. Delta then topped off the evening by defeating the Liberty Center Lady Tigers 2-1.

Click on the link above to access photos from the ceremony. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Senior Kendall Sprow with her mother Tammy, flanked by the future of Lady Panther soccer

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Click on the link above to access photos from the pre-game and halftime of the game. Photos are in the jpeg format and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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Archbold quarterback Kurt Krueger connected with wide receiver Broden Piercefield from nine yards out at the left front corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:01 left in the game, completing a furious comeback from an early 17-point deficit to edge the visiting Delta Panthers 28-24 on Friday night.  The late score dealt the Panthers their first loss of the season after starting the 2024 campaign with four consecutive victories.

Delta entered the contest undefeated by relying on their vaunted running game and a strong run defense.  The Panthers used that running game to drive down the field for a Brady Roth 25-yard field goal on their first offensive series then added an Emric Priess 1-yard plunge for 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.  Following an Archbold turnover, Delta struck again, this time with a 20-yard Priess to Richard Flores pass to put the Panthers up 17-0.

The Blue Streaks finally got their offense in gear and pulled within 17-7 on a 19-yard Jarett Rufenacht to Piercefield touchdown pass to close the gap as the teams headed to halftime.  Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, but Archbold had shifted the momentum in their favor entering the final quarter. 

The Blue Streaks scored early in the fourth quarter and trailed just 17-14.  Delta took the ensuing kickoff and kept pounding the ball in the middle with Panther work horse, Landon Lintermoot, carrying most of the load.  When the Panthers reached midfield, Lintermoot broke through the defensive line and ran 50-yards for the score, giving back Delta’s 10-point advantage late in the game.

After starting Streak quarterback, Rufenacht was injured on a play, Krueger came in and, on a third and 16-yard situation threw a pass to a streaking Morgan Harris who then outraced the Delta defenders for a 71-yard touchdown and Archbold was within three points, 24-21.  The Panthers were able to move into Blue Streak territory after receiving the kickoff but were eventually forced to give the ball back to Archbold with time running down.  With Krueger still guiding the offense, the Streaks moved down the field with short pass and run plays, finally setting the stage for the winning touchdown.

Lintermoot led the Delta offense with 26 carries for 179 yards and one touchdown.  Vincent Martinez had 37 yards on seven rushes.  In the air, Priess completed two passes on 15 attempts for 53 yards and one score.  The Panther defense forced three turnovers with two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

The Archbold offense racked up 408 yards with Ryder Ryan picking up 98 of the Streaks’ 154 rushing yards and Rufenacht and Krueger combining to go 18 of 32 for 254 yards and three touchdowns.  The Archbold defense grabbed four turnovers with two interceptions and two recovered fumbles.

The victory moves the Blue Streak record to 1-1 in the league and 3-2 overall.  They will travel to Evergreen this Friday to take on the Vikings.  Delta drops to 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in the NWOAL.  The Panthers will celebrate Homecoming this Friday as they welcome in the Swanton Bulldogs.

Delta Panthers:  10-7-0-7 = 24

Archbold Blue Streaks:  0-7-0-21 = 28

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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Broden Piercefield hauls in the pass from Kurt Krueger for the winning touchdown

On Thursday, October 3^rd, Swanton High School will be holding its Annual Homecoming Parade starting at 6:30 PM at the Fulton County Courthouse on Main Street.  The parade will travel North on Main Street to Cherry Street and end at the Fisher Gymnasium.  At that point the Homecoming Queen and King will be announced followed by a bonfire and the traditional kickball game.

On Friday, October 4^th, prior to the football game against the Archbold Blue Streaks, the Homecoming Court will be introduced and the coronation will be held.  The students in the court are as follows:

Seniors:  Jessica Finfera, Miranda Yeager, Lylah Hummel, Charlie Griffin, Isabella Bonifas, Evan Smigelski, Drake Harris, Melvin Brown, Logan Young, Hunter Entenmann

Juniors:  Anja Caklovic, Alexa Faber, Conner Mitchey, Jack Tansel

Sophomores:  Madelyn Foster, Dylan Smigelski

Freshmen:  Julianna Avery, Eli Bolyard

On Saturday, October 5^th, the Homecoming Dance will take place at the high school.

Photo: 2024 Swanton Homecoming Court – Front Row: Anja Caklovic, Lexi Faber, Lylah Hummel, Jessica Finfera, Miranda Yeager, Isabella Bonifas Back Row: Eli Bolyard, Julianna  Avery, Conner Mitchey, Jack Tansel, Melvin Brown, Logan Young, Charlie Griffin, Evan Smigelski, Drake Harris, Hunter Entenmann, Madelyn Foster, Dylan Smigelski

Press Release from the NWOAL:  Everyone – The NWOAL is looking for a new league commissioner.  If you could mention/run this, we would appreciate it. You can contact Randy Roberts or Anthony Menna at Swanton High School for more information.

Job Title: Commissioner

Overview: The Commissioner serves as the key executive responsible for managing and overseeing league operations, ensuring compliance with league regulations, coordinating events, and maintaining communication among league officials and athletic directors.  The position requires attending meetings, organizing schedules, and managing officials’ assignments.

Key Responsibilities:

League Governance: Ensure compliance with the league’s Constitution and Policy Manual along with the OHSAA regulations.  Adapt to amendments made by league principals as necessary.  Be responsible for any OHSAA communication for the league if needed.

Meeting Attendance: Attend all league and athletic directors’ meetings to facilitate communication and coordinate duties effectively.  Along with any OHSAA or Assignors meetings as needed.

Event Oversight: Attend league tournaments

Schedule Development: Create and manage schedules for varsity-level activities, ensuring smooth operation across all organized events.

Officials Management: Develop and implement a rating system for officials to maintain a list of qualified individuals for various assignments.  Ensure the proper assignment of officials to contests, utilizing approved scheduling software and securing contracts well in advance.

Contract Management: Handle the contracting of officials for key events and contests, ensuring they are assigned to varsity and reserve events in advance of each season.

Compensation and Review: Compensation will be negotiated annually and is a supplemental pay, with expenses subject to approval by league principals. Performance will be reviewed annually by a standing committee.

Qualifications:

Strong understanding of league policies and operations.

Proven organizational and leadership skills.

Ability to manage schedules and coordinate logistics.

Experience working with officials and overseeing sporting events.

Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Performance Evaluation: The Commissioner’s performance will be reviewed annually by the standing committee.

Applications can be submitted to Anthony Menna at anthony.menna@swantonschools.org

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The Wauseon Boys golf team, entered the NWOAL tournament tied for the league lead with Bryan with a 6-1 regular season record, then broke the deadlock by winning the tournament with a score of 312 to finish with 14 total points, two points ahead of Bryan, which finished third in the tournament with a 324 on Friday.  Once again, Auglaize Golf Course with a very challenging par 72 layout, hosted the event.

Swanton senior Mazin Rukieh fired a one-under 71 to lead all golfers for medalist honors.  For Mazin, the 2023 NWOAL Player of the year, it was his second consecutive season as the league’s tournament medalist.  Archbold sophomore Grady Short shot an even par 72 to finish runner up and, based on his scores throughout the season, was awarded the NWOAL Player of the Year.  Grady led Archbold to a second-place finish in the tournament and third place on the season.

FINAL SCORES:  Only the top four individual scores are factored into the team total.

Wauseon Indians (312):  Carter Stuckey (74), Ethan Stuckey (79), Mykale Schneider (80), Jack Allstater (79), Maddox Schneider (100), Gavin Fisher (100)

Archbold Blue Streaks (320):  Grady Short (72), Zach Short (78), Griffen Valentine (85), Sonny Phillips (85), CJ Arroyo-Thompson (91), Jamison Waidelich (101)

Bryan Golden Bears (324):  Kai Dauber (75), Brayden Hall (79), Jayden Deel (81), Drew Engstrom (89), Landon Basset (89), Nolan Franzdorf (91)

Swanton Bulldogs (333):  Mazin Rukieh (71), Adam Lemon (81), Brady O’Shea (90), Owen Hurst (91), Grady Tipton 92), Dylan Smigelski (101)

Delta Panthers (340):  Lane Lopez (73), Adam Mattin (83), Slade Young (86), Ashton Ahg (98), Luke Spiess (98), Keegan Clapp (99)

Liberty Center Tigers (349):  Tony Capretta (77), Brody Wykehouse (88), Stone Roth (89), Braden Like (95), Owen Gebers 9105), Nolan Cordes (118)

Evergreen Vikings (363):  Michael Laver 988), Hayden Timbrook (89), Caden Beier (91), Chris Shrader (95), Brady Seabolt (96), John Herdman (97)

Patrick Henry Patriots (435):  Ian Schwab (93), Mason Jardine (103), Evan Carrizales (112), Parker Kruse (127), Wyatt Wilhelm (134), John Morris (151)

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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website

Photo: NWOAL 2027 Boys Golf Champions – Wauseon Indians

Small towns and villages can be great places to live with the local school system and municipal government providing the foundation for the community’s social infrastructure.  But what really provides the glue that connects all the separate entities and brings residents together to work for the public good are the selfless community servants.  John Bay, a lifelong resident of Delta and a Delta High School graduate, is one of those selfless servants.

John was one of the founding members of the Delta, Ohio chapter of Lions Club International (LCI) and has served as President and Vice-President of the Club.  Founded in 1917 in Chicago, LCI shifted their focus to work for the blind and the visually impaired when Hellen Keller addressed their international convention at Cedar Point, Ohio in June of 1925 and charged the Lions to be Knights of the Blind.

Sponsored by the Wauseon Lions Club on April 1, 1972, the Delta Lions were chartered for over 35 years until October of 2007.  The first Delta Lions Club had many successes and served the Delta community very well in those 35 years.  Some of the long-term fund raisers included: Lions Club Light Bulb sales, Delta Community calendar, Toll Bridge with funds collected donated to The Open Door of Delta, a nonprofit food and clothing service, Fulton County Fair paid Lions for working the entry gates.  Other service projects included student scholarships, Thanksgiving and/or Christmas dinners in conjunction with several other community organizations, Community Food Bank in conjunction with other Delta organizations among many others.

The Delta Lions became inactive for seven years until the Delta-Liberty Lions was chartered in 2014 and lasted until the end of 2022 when they were disbanded when they were unable to sustain the required level of membership.  Sadly, they became another victim of serious decline in volunteerism seen around the country.

Still wanting to contribute, several of the remaining members joined the Wauseon Lions.  John went in the other direction and signed on with one of the most active Clubs in the area, the Swanton Lions, in January of 2023.  “I joined Swanton Lions because, whether local or international, Lions have much to offer.  In addition to service, comradery with members is part of the privilege of a service organization.”  

John’s combined service with all three Lions Clubs has now reached an incredible 45 years.  However, his legacy of serving his community extends well beyond the Lions Clubs.  He was a member of the Delta Volunteer Fire Department as a fireman and EMT for 25 years, previously served on the Delta Park Board and with the Delta Chicken Festival and is currently serving as a member of the Delta Library Board. 

With all the time spent helping others, John found time to have a life of his own.  He attended the University of Toledo’s College of Business and worked in the banking industry for 30 years before becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  John has been married to his wife and fellow Delta High School alum, Beth for 51 years.  They have a daughter, Ellen Bernal, the Principal at Pike-Delta-York Middle School, who lives in Delta with her husband Andy.  The Bays have four grandchildren and one great-grandchild and have been members of Hope Church of Delta for their entire married life.

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Click on the link above to access photos from the pre-game and halftime activities from the Archbold at Liberty Center football game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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It was fast and it was furious.  After holding visiting Archbold to a three and out on the first series of the game, Liberty Center scored on their second play from scrimmage and the rout was on with just 89 seconds ticked off the clock.  The quick touchdown triggered a 44-0 first half offensive explosion as the Tigers opened defense of their NWOAL football championship with a 51-0 blowout of the Blue Streaks.  Liberty Center added another touchdown in the first quarter then completely dominated quarter number two, finding the end zone four more times, five if you count the safety, for 30 more points and a running clock for the entire second half.

The win places the Tigers’ overall record at 4-0 and the league mark at 1-0.  They will entertain the Swanton Bulldogs (0-4) next week as they will celebrate Homecoming.  The Blue Streaks fall to 0-1 in the NWOAL and 2-2 on the season.  They will return home next Friday to face the Delta Panthers (4-0).

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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Garrison Kruse celebrates another second quarter Liberty Center touchdown

The Swanton Chapter of Lions Club International is happy to introduce our newest member, Jean Howard. Jean, who lives in the Swanton community, was inducted last Tuesday at our bi-monthly meeting.

The Swanton Lions Club received its charter in 2009 and has become one of the most actives community service organizations in the area. Our next event is the wildly popular Halloween Hoopla on October 26th, from 3-5 PM.

We are always looking to add to our roster of volunteers. We meet every second and fourth Tuesday at 6:15 PM in the Swanton Community Center located on Chestnut Street. If you are interested in our benevolent organization, you can contact us through our Facebook Page or talk to any current Lions Club member.

Photo: Long-time Swanton Lion member Dawn Patch (Left) welcomes new member Jean Howard