Fulton County Ohio Media

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Meeting for the second time this season, this time at the neutral site of Wauseon High School, the Swanton Bulldogs defeated fellow NWOAL foe Liberty Center Tigers 60-51 to capture the Dlll Boys Sectional Championship last Friday night.  In addition to moving on, the victory gained a large measure of redemption for Swanton after suffering a home loss to Liberty Center 45-34 a month earlier.  Many of those who witnessed that first matchup described it as “brutally” physical.  The second game proved to be no different as the Tigers employed at tight full court defense for most of the contest.

“We were prepared for that,” said Bulldog senior guard Hayden Callicotte who was named ‘Hardwood Hero’ by the local television station covering the contest.  “We knew it was going to be really physical and we had to play through that.”  The hard play resulted in 60 trips to the free throw line for the two teams including 27 for Swanton where they sank 22 of the attempts for 81.5%.  “Free throws win basketball games.  So, we had to knock them down tonight,” added Callicotte, who went six for six at the line himself.  Liberty Center hit 78.3% on 18 of 23 free throws.

The first half was relatively low scoring as the Bulldogs took a six-point lead, 24-18, at halftime.  The Tigers were able to shave one point from the deficit entering the fourth quarter but Swanton scored the first seven points and shot 9 of 10 from the line in that frame to clinch the win.  “We got off to a good start, unlike the first time we played them when we got down by 11 early.  It was too much of a hole to climb out of,” said Swanton head coach Bruce Smith.  “They’re very tough.  If we’re going to war, I’m stopping in Liberty Center and picking those guys up,” added Coach Smith, borrowing a quote from a Big Ten basketball coach.

The win advances the Bulldogs to the District Semi-Finals at Napoleon High School this Wednesday at 7:30 PM to face the Wayne Trace Raiders who beat the Delta Panthers 63-40 earlier that same evening.  “They’re really good.  They have some guys that can really play,” said Coach Smith of his upcoming opponent.

Liberty Center:  8-10-16-17 = 51   Landon Kruse (10), Landon Bockelman (10), Colton Chamber (9), Colton Kruse (8), Gavin Greahlen (8), Riley Chapa (3), Zane Zeiter (3)

Swanton:  14-10-15-21 = 60   Hayden Callicotte (14), Cole Mitchey (11), Luc Borojevich (11), Charlie Wood (9), Drew Smigelski (8), Kayden Davis (7)

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.

Team Photo Credit: Callicotte Photography

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The Liberty Center Lady Tigers found the Delta Lady Panthers to be a much stronger opponent than the team they easily defeated 53-32 earlier in the season. However, they were able to break open a tight game in the third quarter, outscoring Delta 15-8, and go on to win 41-31 in a Dlll District Semi-Final game at Lake High School on Wednesday night. The Lady Panthers used a tight defense to hold the Lady Tigers to just 16 first-half points and only trailed by three, 16-13, heading into the decisive third frame. Both teams scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as Liberty Center held on for the victory.

The Lady Tigers improved their record to 21-3 and advance to play the Van Buren Lady Black Knights, a 58-38 winner over Evergreen in the first game, for the Dlll District Championship and a trip to the Dlll Regional Tournament. The game will be played on Saturday 2/25 at 1:00 PM, also at Lake High School. Delta finishes the season with an 11-13 record.

Delta: 8-5-8-10 = 31 Kendall Sprow (10), Khloe Weber (6), Grace Munger (6), Sophia Buress (3), Ashlyn Lamb (3), Olivia Smith (2), Kate Friess (1)

Liberty Center: 13-3-15-10 = 41 Emerson Gray (11), Paton Armey (10), Kailey Blanton (5), Alyssa Giesige (3), Haley Mohler (3), Gracie Miller (3), Bea Barrett (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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Kendall Sprow led the Lady Panthers with 10 points.

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In the first game of the OHSAA Dlll District Semi-Finals held at Lake High School Wednesday night, the Evergreen Lady Vikings lost 58-38 to the Van Buren Lady Black Knight of the Blanchard Valley Conference. Early in the second quarter, Evergreen was hanging close, trailing by a single point at 14-13. However, Van Buren outscored the Lady Vikings 20-5 over the rest of the period to take a commanding 34-18 lead at halftime. Evergreen finishes the season with a 14-10 record.

Evergreen: 89-10-10-10 = 38 Brooklyn Gleckler (8), Addison Richer (8), Macy Chamberlin (8), Brooke Sintobin (7), Emmitt Kennedy (4), Lucy Serna (3)

Van Buren: 12-22-11-13 = 58 Zoe Fruth (22), Sasha Busey (19), Brylee Ponn (8), Anna Durliat (3), Bailey Lance (2), Kami Bowman (2), Paige Bowman (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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Addison Richer scores on a short jumper from the baseline.

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Eli Kiefer rolled in one of two foul shot attempts with 2.3 seconds remaining in the contest, giving Evergreen a 51-50 lead, then survived a last second Fairview 12-foot jumper, to beat the Apaches in an OHSAA Boys Sectional Semi-Final game played last night at Springfield High School in Holland.  Prior to the final two free throw attempts, Kiefer and fellow guard Tyson Woodring had struggled from the line in the fourth quarter, combining to make just one shot out of a dozen tries.  Fortunately, their accuracy from the field was much better with Kiefer scoring six of his 11 points in the final frame and Woodring netting a team-high 14 points to help give the Vikings a five-point cushion after the third quarter.  Drew Gillen scored 12 points including 8 of 9 from the foul line.  Walker Lumbrezer hit two big three-point shots in the second half and he and Riley Lumbar pulled down critical rebounds late in the game to hold off the hard-charging Apaches. 

The victory, Evergreen’s 13^th of the season, sends the Vikings to the Sectional Finals against the top-seeded Emmanuel Christian Warriors out of the Toledo Area Athletic Conference (TAAC).  The game will be played at Springfield on Friday, February 24^th, at 6:00 PM.

Fairview:  9-11-14-16 = 50   Adam Lashaway (15), Brody Retcher (12), Kasen Kauffman (9), Eli Shininger (7), D’Andre Hastings (2), William Zeedyk (2)

Evergreen:  13-14-12-12 = 51    Tyson Woodring (14), Drew Gillen (12), Eli Kiefer (11), Walker Lumbrezer (6), Riley Dunbar (6), Colton Robertson (2)

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

Photo: Viking Tyson Woodring scores two of his 14 points over a tight Fairview defense.

For those of you who have not been informed or have noticed, the Swanton Enterprise, along with the Fulton County Expositor, has been absorbed by the Northwest Signal, a five-day a week newspaper.  All three publications are owned by AIM Media Midwest and, I assume, a business decision was made to merge the three into one, under the Northwest Signal banner.  The first issue was published today, Tuesday, February 21, 2023.  A boxed announcement was printed on the right side of the first page above the fold.

It read:  Changes announced.  Exciting changesare coming to the Northwest Signal today.  Three AIM Media Midwest newspapers — the Northwest Signal in Henry County and the Fulton County Expositor and Swanton Enterprise in Fulton and Lucas counties — are now combined to serve our local communities with the area’s most comprehensive local news and sports coverage.  The Northwest Signal will now cover local news and sports throughout Fulton, Henry, Lucas and surrounding counties and will be delivered in print and online five days a week — Monday through Thursday and Saturday — to more than 4,000 subscribers, racks and dealers beginning today.  Our offices in Napoleon and Wauseon will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. to better serve our customers.

Given the downward spiral of the printed newspaper industry for the past two decades, this announcement should come as no surprise.  Many newspapers around the country, large and small, have shuttered their doors and many more, such as the Toledo Blade, have scaled back printed issues or publish only online.  Advances in technology now deliver news and other information, virtually at the speed of light, right into the palm of our hand, no matter where we happen to be.  It is difficult to compete with that and media companies that offer printed newspapers have had to pool their resources to stay afloat.

While the same information will be available in a similar format, I will still miss the Swanton Enterprise.  There is a special feeling when your town has its own newspaper, especially when the name of the town is part of the paper’s banner.  The Swanton Enterprise was a source of pride and an integral part of the village’s identity.  First published in 1886, the Enterprise is almost as old as Swanton itself which was founded in 1883. 

And it was more than just a newspaper.  It was familiar and personal, like an old friend.  You knew the names in the bylines between the headlines and the articles.  They were your neighbors or former classmates or your kids went to school with their kids.  You saw them at Kroger or Memorial Park or in church.  It was a small-town paper with content that made you feel thankful to be part of the community. 

I am not as old school and nostalgic as I sound in this piece.  I look forward to reading the Northwest Signal and am glad the Enterprise employees will be a part of it.  Still, I will miss the Swanton Enterprise and the anticipation of its weekly arrival.  As a long-time resident of the Swanton area, it feels like a part of our community has been taken away.  I understand why and do not disagree with it.  So, thank you to the many people that worked very hard over the many years to bring us the Enterprise and to the paper itself.  It was good to know you.

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When one team defeats another twice in the regular season then meets them again in the playoffs, it is often said, “It’s hard to beat a team that third time.”  The Delta Lady Panthers had swept the season series from the Swanton Lady Bulldogs, winning that second game at home by two points after a fourth quarter rally.  After Swanton beat Northwood in the Sectional Semi-Final game, the Panthers and the Bulldogs would meet again for the title at Otsego High School.  For Delta, they knew that third win would not be easy.  And, to their credit, Swanton made it hard, very hard in fact.  Tied at 24 all entering the final frame, Delta responded by outscoring Swanton 16-7 to capture the Dlll Sectional Championship 40-31.   “We always seem to do well in the fourth quarter against this team.  Just like the last time we played them,” said Delta Head Coach Kelsey Gillen. 

It was a very low scoring game in the early going with Swanton holding a slim 5-4 lead after the first quarter with senior guard Alaina Pelland scoring all of the Bulldog’s points.  However, after being held scoreless in the first, Delta’s leading scorer, Grace Munger, hit two three pointers and had eight points in the quarter as the Panthers took a 17-12 lead at the half. 

The Bulldogs stormed back in the third, going on an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 20-17 and then watched the Panthers rally to go on top 24-21 late in the quarter.  With time winding down, Pelland, who led all players with 17 points, sank a three-point shot from the corner for the 24-24 tie.  Munger stepped up again, scoring five of her team high 16 points and freshman Abbey Todd hit a big shot late from behind the arc to help seal the win.

It was the first opportunity to cut down the net for second-year Coach Gillen.  “We have an incredible group here,” said Gillen.  They are always willing to scrap and they never give up.  They continue to work hard for me and that’s all I can ask.”

For Swanton Coach Eric Oakes and the Lady Bulldogs, their season comes to an end with an overall record of 11-13.  Coach Gillen and the Lady Panthers improve to 11-12 on the season and will now face the 20-3 Liberty Center Lady Tigers in the Dlll District Semi-Finals on Wednesday, 2/22. At 7:30 PM at Lake High School.

Swanton: 5-7-12-7 = 31 Alaina Pelland (17), Miranda Yeager (4), Jessica Finfera (3), Katlyn Floyd (3), Olivia Gowing (2), Peighton Manning (2)

Delta: 4-13-7-16 = 40 Grace Munger (16), Kendall Sprow (8), Khloe Weber (6), Abbey Todd (5), Ashlyn Lamb (3), Kate Friess (2)

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

Photo: Delta Lady Panthers OHSAA Dlll Girls Basketball Sectional Champions

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No one saw this coming.  Literally, no one in attendance in Swanton’s Kevin J. McQuade Gymnasium to watch the hometown 16-5 Bulldogs take on the 12-9 Evergreen Vikings in the last game of the regular season would have predicted a full-blown lopsided 34-point Swanton halftime lead on the way to a 67-29 victory over a talented and well-coached Evergreen team.  This was the same Viking squad that held the visiting Bulldogs to zero points in the third quarter and forged a tie game in the fourth before falling 52-44 in a non-league game earlier this season.  It does happen on occasion in all sports, where one team will do virtually everything right while the other team, despite being close in ability, cannot execute any part of their game plan no matter how hard they play.  Last night in Swanton was a text book example of that and it began almost immediately.

Swanton’s Luc Borojevich scored on a breakaway layup and Hayden Callicotte swished a three-pointer from the corner for a 5-0 lead in what was essentially a preview of how the first half was about to unfold.  The Bulldogs ran the score up to 12-0 before the Vikings were finally able to get on the board, but in no way did it slow down the Swanton juggernaut offense.   They went on a 15-0 run to make the score 27-2 and finished the first quarter ahead 29-4. 

Evergreen finally began to hit some of their shots in the second.  Leading scorer Eli Kiefer, who had no points in the first, broke loose for eight and the Vikings scored 15 in the quarter.  However, Callicotte and Borojevich, who had combined for 25 points in the first, stayed hot and finished the half with 20 points each, staking Swanton to a 53-19 lead at the buzzer.  For the half, the Bulldogs made 19 out of 24 shots from the field for 79.1% and went 6/7 from the line for 85.7%.

If there was any hope Evergreen would come back in the second half to make the score more respectable, that hope was quickly dashed when Borojevich fed Callicotte on a break who tossed up an alley-oop to a streaking Cole Mitchey who slammed it home for a 36-point Swanton advantage.  By reaching a lead of 35 points or more, a running clock was implemented and it remained in effect for the rest of the contest.

With the win, Swanton finishes the regular season with a 17-5 overall record and 4-3 in the NWOAL, tied for third place with Liberty Center. The Bulldogs begin the OHSAA Dlll tournament on Friday, 2/24, at 8:00 PM at Wauseon High School and will face the winner of the Hicksville/Liberty Center game. Evergreen ends the regular season with a 12-10 record and 2-5 in the league in seventh place. The Vikings begin tournament play on Tuesday, 2/21, at Springfield High School and will take on the Fairview Apaches. at 6:00 PM.

Evergreen:  4-15-4-6 = 29   Eli Kiefer (9), Riley Dunbar (6), Walker Lumbrezer (3), Will Ruetz (3), Tyson Woodring (2), Ryder Hudik (2) Ben Ruetz (2), Drew Gillen (2)

Swanton:  29-24-11-3 = 67   Luc Borojevich (25), Hayden Callicotte (20), Cole Mitchey (9), Kayden Davis (5), Charlie Wood (5), Jake Robinson (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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Luc Borojevich shoots for three.

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In a State Sectional Semi-Final game at Otsego High School, the Swanton Lady Bulldogs went to the foul line 11 times in the fourth quarter and hit nine of those attempts to seal a 40-29 win over the Northwood Lady Rangers. Swanton took no free throws in the first three quarters and made no shots from the field in the final frame in the victory that sends them to the Sectional Final against fellow NWOAL foe the fifth-seeded Delta Lady Panthers.

The eight-seeded Lady Bulldogs led the entire way, by as many as 14 points in the second half over the seventh-seeded Lady Rangers, but saw that lead trimmed to just five points before the late clutch free throws were made by Alaina Pelland (5/7), Katie Floyd (2/2) and Miranda Yeager (2/2) to shut down the Northwood rally.

The Sectional Championship, also at Otsego High School, will tip off at 6:00 PM on Saturday.

Swanton: 10-6-15-9 = 40 Alaina Pelland (14), Miranda Yeager (12), Emma Crow (5), Olivia Gowing (5), Jessica Finfera (2), Katie Floyd (2)

Northwood: 3-7-10-9 = 29 Autumn Schroeder (12), EB Wauford (7(, Carissa Davies ((5), Natalie Thompson (3), Zoe Turner (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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Alaina Pelland at the line

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Down by double digits early in the game to visiting Cardinal Stritch on Tuesday night, Swanton slowly chipped away at the deficit and finally took a brief 46-45 lead with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Cardinals regained control down the stretch, finishing the game on a 9-2 run and defeated the Bulldogs 54-48 in a non-league contest. Swanton wraps up the regular season on Friday night at home against the Evergreen Vikings. Tip off is at 7:30 PM.

Cardinal Stritch: 16-10-16-12 = 54 Owen Carter (14), Tommie Taylor (11), Christian Burton (11), Breon Hicks (9), Kam Hughes (8), Christian Swilling (1)

Swanton: 7-15-18-8 = 48 Luc Borojevich (20), Hayden Callicotte (14), Charlie Wood (10), Cole Mitchey (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 for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Charlie Wood scores underneath

At the Swanton Village Council meeting of February 13^th, Mayor Neil Toeppe recommended to Council that it accept the proposal from the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association to conduct an organizational assessment of the Swanton Fire and Rescue Department (SFRD) to find ways to improve the department for the benefit of the citizens of the Swanton community.  Mayor Toeppe cited a study that showed the negative impact of poor leadership, low morale and poor communication, inadequate compensation and other factors can lead to high turnover.  Exacerbating the problem, he said, is the labor shortage in this career field in Ohio and across the nation, which makes it easy for someone to leave and immediately find another job.  According to the Mayor, a similar assessment was completed on the Swanton Police Department a number of years ago and improvements were recommended and implemented.

“That tells me that we really need to address the issues I mentioned earlier, the leadership, morale, communication and bring in some professional help for us and help the department navigate those things so we can mitigate those concerns,” said the Mayor.  “It would look at all aspects of the area that we serve, the number of employees we have in each discipline, the equipment that we have, do we have enough, do we have too much, do we have the right equipment.  All of those things.”

The cost of the assessment would be $20,600.  After a brief discussion, Council members all agreed to the assessment and tasked Village Administrator Shannon Shulters to draft a Resolution to be voted on next meeting.   In 2021, Mayor Toeppe made a similar proposal to the then sitting Council, headed by Craig Rose.  The cost at that time was approximately $15,000 and was deemed unnecessary and summarily rejected. 

After interviewing four potential candidates for the Fiscal Director position, Holden Benfield was recommended to fill the job left vacant by the recent resignation of Jason Vasko.  Council members discussed the recommendation during an executive session and voted unanimously to accept it after reconvening in Council chambers.  Mr. Benfield resides outside the Village but within the Swanton Postal Code.  He received an undergrad degree and a Master’s of Science in Managerial Accounting from the University of Toledo. 

Mayor Toeppe announced that the first meeting of the Swanton Economic Development Commission (SEDC) was held last week to establish management criteria.  There will be six members on the committee including Swanton High School alumnus Mick Bryan, retired businessman and former president of an international company, Swanton resident and Swanton High School alumnus Eric Butler, currently serving as a vice-president for Key Bank, Chris Lake, Swanton resident and Superintendent of Swanton Schools, Councilman Mikey Disbrow, Administrator Shulters and Mayor Toeppe.  The SEDC will meet on the second Wednesday every other month.  The next meeting will be held on April 12, 2023.

Signage for the DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area) have been arrived and will be installed by the Village maintenance crew in the near future.  The next Council meeting will take place on February 27, 2023 at 6:00 PM.

Photo: New Swanton Finance Director Holden Benfield