The Delta Lady Panthers took on the 8-0 Leipsic Lady Vikings in the semi-finals of the Robert L. Fisher Classic Basketball Tournament in Swanton and dropped a 44-32 decision in a game that was closer than the final score indicated. Down by seven points at the end of the first quarter, Delta outscored Leipsic 9-5 in the second to pull within 19-16 at halftime. The undefeated Lady Vikings regrouped in the third frame with a 13-5 advantage and maintained that lead the rest of the way.
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.
The Delta Lady Panthers Junior Varsity team dropped a close game to the Leipsic Lady Vikings in the semi-finals of the Robert L. Fisher Classic basketball tournament in Swanton.
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 NBO CHARGE couetesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
After two years of lower donations due to unexpected and unavoidable circumstances, the shoppers at the Kroger grocery store in Swanton stepped up in a big way to donate to the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Drive during the holiday period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The heartbreaking passing of Joe Kahle, who organized the Drive for years and spent countless hours making the Swanton Kroger contribution the most successful in Northwest Ohio, and the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined to drop donations to seriously low levels.
In 2022, Bonnie Holdeman took on the painstaking organizing and scheduling of the Red Kettle Drive and was able to find bell ringers to fill all the two-hour slots. The bell Ringers included many individuals, duos and even an entire family (See Photo). Thanks to the efforts of Bonnie, local businesses and organizations, dozens of residents and, of course, the Swanton Kroger and its employees, the 2022 donations jumped over 40% from 2021. Donations totaled $10,059 in 2021 and rose to $14,162 in 2022.
All monies collected in the Swanton Drive will be allocated within the Swanton community. According to the Salvation Army, “the donations we collect during the holiday season not only help us provide gifts to children who would otherwise go without, but they also help us provide food, shelter, and utility assistance to those who need it most every day of the year. Every dollar dropped into a red kettle helps give local families the Christmases they deserve and the yearlong support they so desperately need.”
Photo: All hands on deck for a good cause. The children of Betsy and Luke Gardner took their turn ringing the bell to help their fellow Swanton residents.
The Swanton Lady Bulldogs bowlers dropped a 1643-1264 match to the Bryan Lady Golden Bears. Madison Roytek topped the Swanton team with a two-game 250 series while Ashley Grymonprez rolled a 297 for Bryan. The Swanton boys’ team was short-handed, only three bowlers, due to illness and lost 2312-1179. Conner Williams had a two-game series score of 353 for the Bulldogs and Caleb Muhe tossed a 402 for the Golden Bears.
Swanton Lady Bulldogs Scores: Madison Roytek (121+129 = 250), Audrey Gossett (112+109 = 221), Makayla Balonek (92+117 = 209), Anna Urbina (84+90 = 174), Kaycee Scherger (63+62 = 125), Baker Games (93+128+94 = 315) Total = 1264
Bryan Lady Golden Bears Scores: Ashley Grymonprez (148+149 = 297), Haylie Federspiel (170+105 = 275), Mya Federspiel (145+97 = 242), Yris Arrizon (88+149 = 237), Polly Sleesman (109+96 = 205), Baker Games (132+148+107 = 387) Total = 1643
Swanton Bulldogs Scores: Conner Williams (192+161 = 353), Matt Bates (157+158 = 315), Matthew Chovan (146+141 = 287), Baker Games (65+62+97 = 224) Total = 1179
Bryan Golden Bears Scores: Caleb Muhe (212+190 = 402), Issac Stoy (221+174 = 395), Dakota Brandeberry (190+161 = 351), Oliver Proxmire (133+160 = 293), Trevor Craig (189), Aaryan Singh (146), Baker Games (158+163+215 = 536) Total = 2312
Photo: Lady Bulldog Madison Roytek
Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
With the primary goal of stream-lining its own meetings, the Swanton Village Council, at their December 12th meeting, discussed major changes in the meeting agenda format that would make the sessions more efficient and concise by eliminating committee wait times and reporting redundancy. Early in this meeting, Village Solicitor Kent Murphree explained to the Council members what their options were to make changes as spelled out in the Ohio Revised Code (ORC).
Currently, there are four committees (Finance, Public Safety, Public Service, Water & Sewer) each with three assigned Council members assigned and one serving as a chairperson. There is also the Committee of the Whole where all Council members participate. According to the ORC, the date and starting time of each committee meeting as well as the official Council meeting must be publicized and cannot be changed after a certain date. For example: The Finance Committee will be scheduled for 6:00 PM, the Public Service Committee for 6:30 PM and the Council Meeting for 7:00 PM. If a committee adjourns any time before the next meeting is scheduled to begin, the ORC states the next committee must wait until the previously scheduled start time. “One committee can finish its business in 15 minutes and we have to wait 15 minutes before we can resume,” explained Mayor Neil Toeppe. “The next committee may only take 10 minutes and then we have to wait another 20 minutes before the Council meeting is allowed to begin.”
Another delay is built in to the format when each committee, and the business it tasked with, is only on the agenda every other meeting, often extending the time it takes to resolve certain issues. Once the actual Council meeting begins, each committee chairperson will give a report on what was discussed and relate any recommendations to be considered for possible legislation which is basically a repeat from earlier in the evening.
The proposed changes to the committee structure and the agenda format would be to eliminate all committees but include all pertinent issues in every meeting agenda, regardless of what committee responsibility they would have fallen under. The recommended starting time for a Council meeting would be 6:00 PM and the agenda would be followed without intermittent delays. There would be no committee reports, no putting an issue on hold until that specific committee meets again in four weeks and motions for legislation could be made at any point. “All the Council members attend the committee meetings anyway and they can offer input so, this would be no different,” said Mayor Toeppe.
All Council members voted to move forward with the new protocol. The first Village Council meeting of 2023 is scheduled to take place on January 9th at 7:00 PM. It is in this meeting the Council members elect a Council President and establish the “Rules of Council” for the rest of the year. At this time, it is expected the aforementioned changes will be enacted and will go into effect for the following meeting on January 23, 2023.
The Swanton Lions Club held their annual Giving Tree gift distribution last Wednesday evening at the Swanton Sports Center. On behalf of the Club, I would like to thank the incredibly generous people of the Swanton Community who helped make this a much better Christmas for many of the children in the Swanton Area School District.
The Club would also like to thank the Swanton American Legion Post 479, You-nique Boutique, CK Sweets, First Federal of Delta, DeEtte’s Dream Diner and Club Salon for passing out the Stocking Tags and collecting the gifts and the Swanton Sports Center for staging all the gifts and serving as the distribution center. Thank you all again and please have a wonderful holiday season.
Prior to the wrestling match against the Van Wert Cougars last Saturday night, Swanton High School held a ceremony for three former wrestlers, Tony Carone, Xavier Taylor and Mimo Lytle, who had each reached the 100-win milestone during their high school career. Today, when a wrestler reaches this impressive total, they are awarded a banner in recognition of their outstanding achievement. However, back when these three Bulldogs ruled the mat, awarding banners was not the practice. It was decided rectify this omission and hold this event when Swanton scheduled Van Wert for a dual match, where Mimo is in his second year as head coach.
All three honorees were outstanding athletes in other sports as well during their high school years. Some of their accomplishments are listed below:
Tony Carone 1988-1992: Earned 11 varsity letters overall. Had 105 wrestling wins, first in school history. First four-year place winner at the prestigious Perrysburg Invitational Tournament (PIT). Four-time Sectional place winner. Three-time Sectional Champion. Two-time District place winner. Two-time State qualifier in Division II. Four-time NWOAL place winner. Two-time NWOAL Champion. MVP and Art Ruggles award winner in 1992. Four-time varsity letter winner in football. All NWOAL in football in Junior and Senior years. All District football as a Senior. Two-time varsity letter winner in baseball and one-time varsity letter winner in track. Was inducted to the Swanton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. The banner was presented to Tony by his wrestling coach and father, Joe.
Xavier Taylor 2003-2006: Four-year varsity letter winner in wrestling. Had 114 wins (second 100-win wrestler at Swanton) with 75 pins in his career. Was NWOAL Champion in 2003. Was Sectional Champion in 2005. Was District Champion in 2005 and 2006. Placed 5th at State in 2005 and 4th in 2006. Was High School All-American placing 6th at the National Tournament. The banner was presented to Xavier by his wrestling coach and father, Whitey.
Mimo Lytle 2009-2012: All-time career wins record at Swanton High School with 162. Three-time NWOAL Champion. Four-time Sectional Champion. Two-time District Champion and four-time District placer. Four-time State placer. Two-time Ohio State Champion, 2011 and 2012. Ninth all-time State of Ohio for career pins with 128. Named Most Outstanding Wrestler in Ohio Division III. Finished with a record of 83-1 in his final two years at Swanton. Wrestled three years for Kent State University and recorded a 7-1 record in the MAC Duals in 2015. Finished fourth at the MAC Championships to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championships. Transferred to Findlay and qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships. The banner was presented to Mimo by his wrestling coach Greg Hallet.
For Mimo, it was his first time coming back to his high school alma mater as the head coach of a competing school. He was also not aware of the banner presentations until they were announced. “It was a surprise,” said Coach Lytle of the banner award. “I loved seeing my former coaches and seeing familiar faces from my hometown. It was very special.”
Photo (LtoR): Toney Carone, Xavier Taylor, Mimo Lytle
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.
The Swanton Bulldog wrestlers won nine matches, seven by pins and two by forfeits, to easily outscore the Van Wert Cougars 54-24 in a home non-league match.
Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Delta senior Brenden Pribe fired a two-game series score of 444 to lead the Panthers over the Evergreen Vikings 2290-2166 in a home match at the Swanton Sports Center. After the first round of match play, the Vikings were up by 20 pins, 802-782, behind Mitchell Gillen’s 201 game. The Panthers, however, took control of the match in the second round with Pribe’s score of 262 and a 210 game from Konrad Hawkins, outscoring the Vikings 979-830 to lead by 149 pins. Evergreen managed to edge Delta in the Baker round 534-529 but it was not enough to overcome the large deficit.
Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
Both the Swanton Boys and Girls bowlers went up against a powerful Liberty Center team, dropping the Boys match 2749-2012 and the Girls match 1728-1263. The highlight of the matches was, of course, the perfect game thrown by Liberty Center’s Wesley Wilhelm.
Liberty Center Tigers Individual Scores: Wesley Wilhelm (300+234 = 534), Landon Amstuz (219+237 = 456), Jacob Sexton (266+177 = 443), Cody McDougle (220+210 = 430), Tim Blaton (168+200 = 368), Baker Games (171+141+206 = 518) Total = 2749
Swanton Bulldogs Individual Scores: Conner Williams (267+147 = 414), Scott Lafferty-Reside (160+208 = 368), Matt Bates (149+156 = 304), Chase Lafferty-Reside (111+144 = 255), Matthew Chovan (105+92 = 197), Baker Games (170+158+145 = 473) Total = 2012
Liberty Center Lady Tigers Individual Scores: Hannah Roth (146+178 = 324), Madison Amstutz (166+155 = 321), Halle Shanks (134+173 = 307), AJ Seedorf (128+143 = 271), Killian Garrelson (94+124 = 221), Baker Games (74+117+93 = 284) Total = 1728
Swanton Lady Bulldogs Individual Scores: Audrey Gossett (124+125 = 249), Makayla Balonek (116+114 = 230), Madison Roytek (103+113 = 216), Kaycee Scherger (85+79 = 164), Ann Urbina (73+82 = 155), Baker Games (93+86+70 = 249) Total 1263
In the other match at the Swanton Sports Center, the Delta Panthers defeated the Patrick Henry Patriots 2356-2079 while the Lady Panthers dropped a close one to the Lady Panthers 1878-1845.
Patrick Henry Patriots Individual Scores: Seth Hathaway (193+185 = 378), Isaiah Geahlen (171+190 = 361), Xander Braden (151+140 = 291), Josh Hoops (150+133 = 283), Austin Lammers (135+143 = 278), Baker Games (173+145+170 = 488) Total 2079
Delta Panthers Individual Scores: Dylan Stricker (191+255 = 446), Brody Waugh (200+201 = 401), Konrad Hawkins (179+174 = 353), Brenden Pribe (178+163 = 341), Paul McQueen (143+160 = 303) Baker Games (203+152+157 = 512) Total = 2356
Patrick Henry Lady Patriots Individual Scores: Kylee Karmol (172+154 = 326), Rachael Breece (144+167 = 311), Zayna Kuesel (135+173 = 308), Leah Geahlen (102+120 = 222), Claire Piercefield (82+138 = 220), Baker Games (109+194+188 = 491) Total = 1878
Delta Lady Panthers Individual Scores: Ciarra Flickinger (136+245 = 381), Alana Hoytt (211+135 = 346), Lexi Brown (143+145 = 298), Olivia Tipton (120+88 = 208), Serena Shelhart (91+103 = 194), Baker Games (140+154+134 = 428) Total = 1845
Another highlight of the evening came before the bowling began. Delta bowlers and Marching Panthers Band members, Camden Leonard and Ronald Savage, played the National Anthem on their trumpets to the delight of the entire crowd.
Photo: Camden (Left) and Ronald
Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.
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