FOSTORIA - Separately, depth and talent can do wonders for a team. Together, they lead to titles.
Seneca East put two scorers in eight individual events - getting 1-2 finishes in three of them - and wound up with six victories Saturday en route to thundering past Old Fort 156-89 for the Midland Athletic League Championships crown.
"There's teams here that have great talent, it's just we've got that No. 2 man in some events, and just the depth for us," Seneca East coach Justin Ruffing said.
"Teams today were getting their firsts like we knew they would and placing high like we knew they were going to in events. It's just our ability to get that second and a fourth, or a third and a seventh, anything like that," he said. "That's our strength."
The strength got a big boost from muscle.
Evan Schaffer (133-3) and Ben Hahler (132-4) went 1-2 in the discus, with Hahler adding a win in the shot (48-9 1/2) and Jake Michaels ending sixth there (43-7 1/4).
Fact Box
Midland Athletic League
Seneca East 156, Old Fort 89, Calvert 81, Fremont St. Joe 79 1/2, Carey 67, Hopewell-Loudon 61 1/2, New Riegel 40, Mohawk 28, Lakota 22, St. Wendelin 21, North Baltimore 15
Pole vault - 1. Nathan Alexander (OF) 15-0*; 2. Cory Larick (Car) 14-6; 3. Zach Gregg (SE) 13-0; 4. Adam Alexander (OF) 11-0; 5. Austin Schaffer (SE) 11-0; 6. Andrew Lommerse (H-L) 11-0; 7. Nick Alexander (Lak) 10-6; 8. Jerrott Collet (Car) 10-0
Shot - 1. Ben Hahler (SE) 48-9 1/2; 2. Brent Williams (NR) 45-9; 3. Brent Orians (NR) 45-1; 5. Jacob Goble (Car) 44-2 1/2; 6. Jake Michaels (SE) 43-7 1/4; 7. Nate Mathias (Cal) 41-0; 8. Kevin Crowe (Lak) 40-10 1/2
Discus - 1. Evan Schaffer (SE) 133-3; 2. Hahler (SE) 132-4; 5. Kyle Swartz (Car) 128-1; 6. Zack Coppler (Car) 123-1; 7. Mathias (Cal) 122-8; 8. Dylan Alexander (Lak) 115-11
High jump - 1. Cody Garn (OF) 6-0; 2. Tommy Arredondo (Car) 6-0; 3. Josh Burns (NR) 5-6; 4. Hunter Perry (OF) 5-6; 7. Patric Gase (H-L) 5-4
Long jump - 1. Larick (Car) 20-1 1/4; 3. Timmy Ink (NR) 19-1 3/4; 4. Aaron Strausbaugh (SE) 19-0 1/2; 5. Brice Taylor (OF) 18-11 1/2; 7. Travis Ardner (H-L) 18-5 1/4; 8. Austin Kontak (Cal) 17-7 1/2
4x800 - 1. Calvert (Jared Thompson, Ren Boehler, Joe Brodman, Steve Smith) 8:14.75; 2. Seneca East (Brad McConnell, Jeff Briggs, Karl Burgderfer, Jamie Schafer) 8:18.39; 3. Old Fort (Zack Alexander, Marcus Meyers, Brad Bannister, Luke Edgar) 8:39.52; 4. Hopewell-Loudon (Marcus Ardner, Robert Kniss, Alex Wood, Aaron Lucius) 8:49.13; 5. Carey (Brandon Distel, Braydon Leist, Ben Kromer, Zach Logsdon) 8:59.9; 6. Mohawk (Mitch Parker, Logan Stillberger, Alex Hoerig, Levi Edgington) 9:21.46; 8. Lakota (Jordan Jaso, Luke Baker, Caleb Tolento, Isaac Ritter) 9:25.06
110 hurdles - 1. Kevin Moore (SE) 14.93; 2. Nick Hughes (SE) 15.06; 3. Timothy Reinhart (NR) 15.23; 4. Logan Greiner (Lak) 16.2; 5. Josh Burns (NR) 16.5; 7. N. Alexander (OF) 16.83; 8. Josh Messersmith (Moh) 16.93
100 - 1. Shane Boehler (Cal) 11.26; 3. Nathan Alexander (OF) 11.49; 5. Austin Reinhart (SW) 11.87; 6. James Roush (H-L) 11.88; 7. Darris McGowan (Lak) 11.9; 8. Kyle Ink (NR) 12.2
4x200 - 1. Calvert (Smith, R. Boehler, S. Boehler, Nate Ritzler) 1:31.96; 2. Hopewell-Loudon (Cody Malone, Tayler Bustillos, Avery Gatchell, James Roush) 1:34.26; 4. Mohawk (Austin Eaton, Grant Ekleberry, Jake McMIllion, Jarred Shellhouse) 1:35.69; 5. Seneca East (Nick Hughes, Jordan Phillips, Strausbaugh, Moore) 1:35.76; 6. Carey (Tyler Cusac, Larick, Arredondo, Saenthavisouk) 1:35.9; 7. Lakota (Jaso, Spencer Sprow, Drake Foos, Kevin Woodruff) 1:45.56
1,600 - 1. Zack Alexander (OF) 4:32.46; 2. Jason Willman (SE) 4:35.04; 3. Brodman (Cal) 4:37.78; 4. Wesley Pipher (SE) 4:39.75; 5. Bannister (OF) 4:49.15; 6. Austin Schultz (Cal) 4:51.74; 7. Aaron Lucius (H-L) 4:55.99
4x100 - 1. Fremont St. Joe 44.8; 2. Carey (Cusac, Larick, Arredondo, Saenthavisouk) 44.9; 3. Calvert (Kontak, Long, Ritzler, Reineke) 45.0; 4. Seneca East (Hughes, Moore, Gregg, Strausbaugh) 45.5; 5. Old Fort (Jeff Koebel, Taylor, Garn, Bannister) 46.5; 6. Hopewell-Loudon (Malone, Richie Fox, Bustillos, Travis Ardner) 46.8; 7. Mohawk (Shellhouse, Ekleberry, Eaton, McMillon) 46.9; 8. New Riegel (Reinhart, T. Ink, Burns, K. Ink) 47.0
400 - 1. Jamie Schafer (SE) 51.7; 2. Phillips (SE) 52.3; 3. Avery Gatchell (H-L) 52.7; 4. R. Boehler (Cal) 53.0; 5. Edgington (Moh) 53.2; 6. Reinhart (SW) 54.0; 7. Alec Stillberger (Moh) 54.5; 8. Austin Burns (H-L) 55.8
300 hurdles - 1. Hughes (SE) 40.2; 2. Reinhart (NR) 40.4; 4. Greiner (Lak) 41.6; 5. Moore (SE) 43.4; 6. Ben Bodart (H-L) 43.9; 7. Burns (NR) 44.0; 8. Messersmith (Moh) 44.1
800 - 1. Distel (Car) 1:59.76; 2. Z. Alexander (OF) 1:59.77; 3. Brad McConnell (SE) 2:06.21; 4. Jared Thompson (Cal) 2:08.9; 5. Marcus Ardner (H-L) 2:09.5; 6. Jaso (Lak) 2:09.71; 7. Edgington (Moh) 2:10.08; 8. Smith (Cal) 2:11.48
200 - 1. Ritzler (Cal) 23.25; 3. Reinhart (SW) 23.71; 5. Roush (H-L) 24.1; 6. Malone (H-L) 24.2
3,200 - 1. Jason Willman (SE) 10:06.45; 2. Z. Alexander (OF) 10:13.79; 3. Wesley Pipher (SE) 10:15.36; 4. Meyers (OF) 10:24.66; 5. Brodman (Cal) 10:31.12; 6. Lucius (H-l) 10:32.11; 7. Hoerig (Moh) 10:35.16; 8. Schultz (Cal) 10:40.49
4x400 - 1. Hopewell-Loudon (Bodart, Ardner, Gatchell, Roush) 3:34.21; 2. Seneca East (Phillips, McConnell, Burgderfer, Schafer) 3:34.24; 3. Mohawk (Edgington, Eaton, Ekleberry, Stillberger) 3:39.63; 4. Calvert (Smith, Dan Reineke, R. Boehler, Thompson) 3:42.73; 5. Carey (Distel, Casuc, Leist, Arredondo) 3:43.18; 7. Old Fort (Lotcyz, Meyers, Bannister, Edgar) 3:51.39
Pole vaulters Zach Gregg (13-0) and Austin Schaffer (11-0) finished third and fifth, and long jumper Aaron Strausbaugh (19-0 1/2) added a fourth.
The Tigers followed that up with solid performances on the track.
Kevin Moore (14.93) and Nick Hughes (15.06) ran 1-2 in the 110 hurdles. Hughes then captured first in the 300 hurdles (40.2) and Moore came in fifth (43.4).
Jamie Schafer ran to victory in the 400 (51.7) and Jordan Phillips came in second (52.3), while Jason Willman claimed the 3,200 (10:06.45) and Wesley Pipher ended third (10:15.36).
Willman added a second in the 1,600 (4:35.04) and Pipher crossed the line fourth (4:39.75), and Brad McConnell took third in the 800 (2:06.21).
The Tigers added seconds in the 4x800 (8:18.39) and 4x400 (3:34.24), and took fourth in the 4x100 (45.5) and fifth in the 4x200 (1:35.76).
McConnell, Jeff Briggs, Karl Burgderfer and Schafer ran the 4x800.
Hughes, Phillips, Strausbaugh and Moore ran the 4x200.
Hughes, Moore, Gregg and Strausbaugh ran the 4x100.
Phillips, McConnell, Burgderfer and Schafer ran the 4x400.
Trying to figure out who would score how many points is more than a hobby for Ruffing when it comes to big meets. In fact, it's kind of a know obsession, he said. But even he never imagined the Tigers would dominate the field by 67 points.
"The kids know and they tease me a little bit because I'll score the meet 10 times a day," he said. "I'm constantly evaluating and seeing where we stand in every event, and I never scored it to end up like this."
And the result will do wonders for morale heading into the district meet, he added.
"It's big for us for our top guys there. Pretty much, everyone ran well today, threw well, jumped well, competed well. We have great confidence," Ruffing said. "It's nice to get off the bus at district and know that you were the champion of your league and carry that confidence with you into that meet."
For the runner-up Stockaders, finishing a distant second brought no disappointment.
As one of the smallest schools in the MAL, coach Tony Miller said his team was more than willing to compete.
"We enjoy running against the bigger schools and stuff, and I don't think we'd ever be upset about losing to a bigger school, but we'll give it everything we've got," he said.
"When you can place two in the top four or five, you're hard to beat. That's a gimme," Miller said. "We just keep plugging away at it, being as small as we are."
Small, but potent.
Senior twins Zach and Nathan Alexander provided a boost (see separate story), with the former taking the 1,600 (4:32.46) and the latter shattering the meet record in the pole vault by clearing 15 feet.
"Their drive this winter was unreal. Zach played basketball, but he still found time to go out and run. Nathan decided not to play basketball and focused on his vault," Miller said. "They're in tip-top shape and hopefully we can continue it."
Cody Garn added a victory in the high jump (6-0) for the Stockaders.
Calvert clipped Fremont St. Joe 81-79 1/2 for third, and Carey held off Hopewell-Loudon 67-61 1/2 for fifth, followed by New Riegel (40), Mohawk (28), Lakota (22) and St. Wendelin (21).
Calvert's wins came from Shane Boehler in the 100 (11.26) and Nate Ritzler in the 200 (23.25).
The Senecas also claimed the 4x800 (8:14.75) and 4x200 (1:31.96).
Jared Thompson, Ren Boehler, Joe Brodman and Steve Smith ran the 4x800.
Smith, Ren Boehler, Ritzler and Shane Boehler ran the 4x200.
Brandon Distel took the 800 (1:59.76) for Carey and Cory Larick won the long jump (20-1 1/4).
Hopewell-Loudon's Ben Bodart, Travis Ardner, Avery Gatchell and James Roush ran to victory in the 4x400 (3:34.21).
