Fulton County Ohio Media

Representing the Swanton Rotary, Club President Chris Lake attended the Swanton Village Council meeting on Monday night and presented a check in the amount of $14,500 to the Village of Swanton to be used specifically for new playground equipment at Memorial Park. Funds for the generous donation were raised by the Swanton Rotary by way of an on-line auction and a “Name That Tune” event held in the showroom of McNeill Cheverolet in Swanton. The new equipment is expected to be purchased and installed sometime this year with an estimated cost of $175,000 to $225,000.

At last night’s Swanton Village Council meeting, Swanton resident Aden Dzierzawski,  a Senior at St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy, gave a presentation regarding Eagle Scout service project, working with his troop to build four bat boxes which will be installed in two of the Village’s municipal parks.  According to Aden, the bat boxes, which were on display at the meeting, will house approximately 50 bats and will take about six years to be fully populated.

As Aden wrote in his proposal, “Bats are beneficial to the environment by helping keep the insect population under control”.  Bats can eat up to 100 mosquitoes or more a night.  Most likely, Aden’s project will have a far greater impact than just having a few less pesky mosquitos to swat away.

According to an article by the Earth Day Network, American bats are disappearing. Bat populations have sharply declined in the last decade, losing a third to a half of the total population. But what caused this change that led many bats to be classified as endangered? The answer is simple: a fungus.

The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a cold-loving organism that infects the bat’s skin, spreads through bat-to-bat and human-to-bat interaction, the latter being extremely common when bats hibernate.

The fungus was first observed in 2006 in Howes Cave near Albany, New York, and has since spread as far west as Texas. The fungus has already killed an estimated 5.7 million to 6.7 million American bats.

Bats are valuable parts of both ecosystems and economies, contributing more than 3 billion dollars to the U.S. economy alone. Bats are also central to American agriculture, eating insects and pests and pollinating flowering plants, trees and cash crops.

Village Administrator Rosanna Hoelzle said she expects the bat houses to be installed this Spring with the help of the Village’s bucket trucks.

Pictured:  With the boxes, Mayor Neil Toeppe and Aden Dzierzawski Back Row:  Councilmembers Dianne Westhoven, Dave Pilliod, Derek Kania, Patrick Messenger, Samantha Disbrow, Mikey Disbrow

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The Archbold Blue Streaks outscored Toledo Christian 19-7 in the second quarter to break open a close game and went on defeat the visiting Eagles 59-40 in a non-league game on Saturday night.  The two teams traded the lead several times in the first quarter before the Streaks entered the second with a 15-13 advantage.

The Eagles, down 34-20 at halftime, were able to shave four points off the deficit by outscoring Archbold 14-10 in the third quarter but the Streaks responded by putting up 15 fourth quarter points to just six for Toledo Christian, coasting to an easy victory.

Alex Roth led Archbold in scoring with 18 points, including four three-point baskets.  DJ Newman scored 14 points, Cade Brenner had eight, and Jayden Seiler added seven.

Click on the link above to access all photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for free courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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Both the Delta Panther and Swanton Bulldog bowlers were zeroed in on their marks during their match on Friday at the Swanton Sports center, the home bowling center for both schools. In the first two games, all five bowlers from each team scored well above their season averages. Swanton took the first game 921-911 and Delta came back in game two 943-865 to give the Panthers a 68-pin lead entering the three Baker games.

The Bulldogs outshot Delta 181-143 in the first Baker to pull within 30 pins only to see the Panthers roll a blistering 228 to Swanton’s 146 and push the lead out to 112 pins. Delta tacked one more pin to the lead in the third Baker, 158-157, to complete the victory 2383-2270.

Brody Waugh led the Panthers with two games of 218 for a 436 series. Other series scores were Kaden Hawkins with a 419 that included games of 204 and 215, Gabe Syverson with a 383 including a 202 game, Paul McQueen with a 312 and Dylan Stricker with a 304.

Swanton’s Marty Mosher led all bowlers with a match-high game of 265 to go along with a 194 for a match-high 459 series. Other series scores were Conner Williams with a 402 including a 205 game, Seth Sweet with a 387 including a 232 game, Matt Bates with a 328 and Audrey Gosset with a 210.

Click on the link above to access all photos. 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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Elijah McLeod scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead basket with five seconds left in the game, to lead the Wauseon Indians to a 40-37 road victory over the Swanton Bulldogs in a boys Junior Varsity basketball game.

The game was a tight defensive struggle in the first two quarters with Wauseon taking 12-9 lead into the locker room at halftime.  Both offenses began to click in the second half as Swanton pulled within one point, 22-21, entering the fourth quarter.  The teams shared the lead several times in the final frame with Drew Smigelski hitting a shot from behind the arc and going four for four at the free throw line to keep the Bulldogs close.

Charlie Wood scored on a layup to give Swanton a 37-36 advantage before McLeod gave Wauseon back the lead then hit two foul shots to make the final score 40-37.

McLeod’s 14 points led Wauseon while Trey Parsons scored nine and Jack Leatherman added six.  Smigelski topped all scorers with 18 points including three triples.  Wood added nine points and Keyon Johnson-Couch scored eight.

Click on the link above to access all photos from the game. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for free courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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Swanton’s Cole Mitchey sank four consecutive clutch free throws with under a minute remaining in the game to extend the Bulldogs’ two-point lead to six as Swanton held off the Wauseon Indians 29-23 at home Friday night in a critical NWOAL boys basketball contest for both teams.  With the Bulldogs holding a 25-23 advantage, Mitchey grabbed back-to-back defensive rebounds and was immediately fouled both times.  The junior guard went to the line in a one-and-one bonus situation and calmly netted all four attempts to go along with his two other foul shots from earlier in the quarter, giving him six in a row.

“Up by only two points, I knew I had to score and increase the lead to solidify the win,” said Mitchey.  In fact, he made eight of ten free throws in the contest and was the only player in the game to score in double figures with 13 points. 

“It was huge.  It was huge,” commented Swanton head coach Bruce Smith on Mitchey’s game-sealing performance at the end.  “We couldn’t score from the field, obviously, so we had to score from the line.  They were real big clutch free throws when you have to make them and you’re up there shaking like a leaf, but he knocked them down.”

Whether it was great defense, poor shooting or a combination of the two, both teams had trouble scoring.  The two teams’ best players, Jonas Tester of Wauseon and Nic Borojevich of Swanton, were assigned to guard each other and both succeeded in shutting down the other.  Borojevich was able to score only two points and Tester could only manage six.

With the two offensive leaders held in check, it was up to the other players to step up and provide the scoring.  “It was kind of surprising to us that they shut him down because usually he is a big part of our game so for us to step up was very important,” said Mitchey, commenting on key contributions of his other teammates.

Like in many of its past contests this season, Swanton jumped out to an early lead over Wauseon but would eventually allow them to claw their way back.  The Bulldogs led 8-2 after the first quarter and, after Hayden Callicotte scored on a put-back at the buzzer, 18-9 at halftime.  Less than 30 seconds into the second half, Luc Borojevich hit a three-point shot to give Swanton its biggest lead of the game at 12 points, 21-9.  It would be the last basket made from the field by the Bulldogs for the rest of the game.

Wauseon mounted a comeback aided by two baskets from beyond the arc by Tyson Rodriguez and four points from Jude Armstrong but could not score after pulling within 25-23.

Along with Mitchey’s 13 points, Luc Borojevich scored eight, Same Betz had for and Callicotte and Nic Borojevich added two each for Swanton. Rodriguez led Wauseon with eight points, Tester scored six, Armstrong had five and Landon Hines added two.

The win moves Swanton’s record to 3-0 in the NWOAL and 13-1 on the season.  Wauseon drops to 1-1 in the league and 8-6 overall.

Pictured: Cole Mitchey shooting a free throw.

Clicl on the link above to access all 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.

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On Swanton Wrestling Senior Night, celebrating the careers of Bryce Marvin and Cody DeKoeyer, the Bulldogs pinned their way to easy victories, first defeating the Montpelier Locomotives 54-24 then beating the Maumee Panthers 57-21. Marvin and DeKoeyer led the way, combining to win all four of their matches, three by pins.

Click on the link above to access all photos from the matches. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for free courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

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The Wauseon Indian bowlers went on the road Tuesday and took both the boys and girls matches from the Delta Panthers at the Swanton Sports Center.  The boys won 2245-2126 and the girls won 2083-1835.

Parker Black bowled games of 214 and 169 for a 383 series to lead the Indians.  Other series scores were Kage Little with a 356, Riley Morr with a 333 and Kane Panico with a 320.  Ryan Marks threw a 211 game in the win.

Delta was led by Brody Waugh who rolled games of 179 and 200 for a 379 series.  Other series scores were Kaden Hawkins with a 371 including a 201 game, Gabe Syverson with a 364 and Paul McQueen with a 320. Dylan Stricker (115) and Brenden Pribe (130) combined for a 245.

The Lady Indians got a 398 series from Danielle Carr with games of 225 and 173 to lead all bowlers.  Other series scores were Jayde Ramos with a 383 including a 202 game, Natalie Stevens with a 367 including a 222 game, Sehera Roberts with a 244 and Ember Pahl with a 232.

Pictured:  Danielle Carr and Parker Black

Click on the link above to access all photos from the matches. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for no charge courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

ORDC Approves Grant Funding to

Nova Tube & Steel, Delta

On January 19, 2022, the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) approved a grant in the amount of $100,000 to assist Nova Tube & Steel (Nova Tube) with the installation of rail infrastructure at its new location near Delta, Ohio.  Nova Tube is in the process of constructing a $105 million facility in order to expand its capabilities in the Midwest. Nova Tube will hire over 102 new employees at the facility once complete and in full operation.  The cost of the new rail infrastructure for this project is estimated at $1,720,000.

A subsidiary of Nova Steel Inc., a Canadian company founded in 1979, Nova Tube remains a privately-owned Canadian based company, servicing the automotive, construction, mining, agriculture, transportation, plumbing and heating, HVAC, waste equipment, rail, and other related industries across North America.  Nova Tube manufactures square, rectangular and round hollow structural section tube in various thicknesses.

The new facility in Delta will consist of one new slitting line and two new Electric Resistance Welding tube mills. The company will produce hollow structural sections and standard pipe for a diverse number of industries from construction applications and infrastructure to mining, solar energy and defense. This project represents a $70 million investment for the company, a strategic position chosen to better serve its existing customer base and support the company’s overall growth strategy from the region.

Matthew Dietrich, Executive Director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, said “This project is an excellent example of how public and private partnerships can work in tandem to assist companies expanding in Ohio.  The new rail infrastructure will be a tremendous asset to Nova Tube in helping to move its products.  We are proud to assist this company and support its employment efforts in the region.”

“Due to increased steel output locally the demand for steel haul trucking will also increase; we anticipate shortages or difficulties securing adequate trucking service to meet our requirements.  Supplementing our transportation needs with rail service will alleviate a portion of our trucking availability concerns.  Additionally, rail shipments will significantly reduce Co2, and other harmful emissions compared to trucking.  We appreciate ORDC assistance in this regard,” said Mike Droski, Project Manager, Nova Tube & Steel.

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ORDC assists Ohio companies and communities in creating and retaining jobs by preserving rail ORDC assists Ohio companies and communities in creating and retaining jobs by preserving rail service to existing shippers and providing rail service to new customers.   In addition, the ORDC funds projects to improve railroad-highway grade crossings to increase safety to the traveling public.  Please remember, when around railroad tracks always expect a train.   Rail lines in Ohio are private property and trespassing is both strictly prohibited and extremely dangerous.

For additional information regarding this project or for additional information on ORDC, please contact Wende Jourdan at (614) 728-9497.

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Two of Fulton County’s best boys’ basketball teams met on Tuesday night when the 9-2 Fayette Eagles out of the Buckeye Border Conference (BBC) hosted the 11-1 Swanton Bulldogs from the Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) with the visitors scratching out a tough 51-41 victory.  The 10-point margin was in no way indicative of how close the game actually was.

Both squads lived up to their stellar records in the first half with intense defensive play.  Swanton held an 8-6 lead after the first quarter but Fayette was able to outscore the Bulldogs 10-6 in the second quarter to put them on top 16-14 at halftime.  Down 21-20 early in the third quarter, Swanton went on an 8-0 run and took a tenuous six-point advantage, 29-23, into the fourth.

In the final eight minutes, both offenses, led by Swanton’s Nic Borojevich and Fayette’s Elijah Lerma, came alive with the Bulldogs scoring 22 points and the Eagles keeping pace with 18.  Borojevich had 11 of his game-high 25 points and Lerma put up 13 of his 23 team-high points in that last quarter shootout.  Fayette had pulled within 35-33 before Swanton was able to take control late in the contest.

In addition to Nic Borojevich’s 25 points, Luc Borojevich scored eight, Sam Betz added seven, Kayden Davis had five, Cole Mitchey had four and Lathan Pawlowicz had two for the Bulldogs.

Scoring for the Eagles, along with Lerma’s 23 points, was Quinn Mitchell, Wyatt Mitchell and Skylar Lester, all with five points and Demetrius Whiteside had three.

Click on the link above to access all 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.