MANSFIELD -- The 2024-25 winter high school sports postseason has kicked into top gear.
Girls basketball entered the sectional tournament, swimming completed the district meet, wrestling held its conference tournaments, bowing postseason is heating up and boys basketball just finished the regular season.
If you missed any of the action, catch up with it right here in the NJ's Top Performers List.
TOURNEY TIME: 2024-25 Richland County Winter Sports Postseason Tracker: Plymouth girls basketball wins first sectional title in 15 years
-The Plymouth Big Red pulled off the upset of the season beating Crestview 52-49 behind Jarrett Burrer's 20 points and Colton Sundstrom's 11. The loss knocked Crestview out of a tie for first place in the Firelands Conference.
-The Shelby Whippets had three players score in double figures in a 68-64 win over Ashland as Brayden DeVito led the way with 25 points while Nic Eyster and Karsen Homan had 11 apiece.
- Mel Blubaugh led the way with 17 points while Brinley Barnett added 16 and Asia Bechtel had 15 in a 63-37 win over Cardington netting the Colts the program record for wins in a regular season with 19. The Colts finished 19-3 on the year before the postseason began.
- Garett Hotz led the Clear Fork Colts with 27 points while Trey Sellers had 19 and Carter Coole added 13 in a 76-36 win over Lucas.
-The St. Peter's Spartans won their fourth straight game knocking off Bucyrus 68-43. Sidiki Sissoko led the way with 20 points while Antonio Lindsay added 13, Markeis Johnson had 11 and Dmoni Lentes scored 10 for a nice balanced effort on the offensive end.
- Kaylen Brooks led the Mansfield Tygers with 20 points while Rashad Reed Jr. added 16 and Kyevi Roane had 15 in a 75-38 win over Galion. Roane pulled in 10 rebounds for a big double-double while adding three assists and three steals.
-The Plymouth girls basketball team ended a lengthy losing streak with a 40-26 win over Crestline. It was the first time since Jan. 2 the Big Red scored more than 30 points in a game and ended a nine-game losing streak. Aly Lewis led the team in scoring with nine points.
-The Mansfield Senior Tygers had two divers compete at the Division I District Dive competition at Bowling Green State University. Nicholas Shaffer finished 11th overall posting scores of 139.65 in the prelims and 219.45 in the semifinals advancing him to the final where he scored a 300.45. Fellow Tyger Nash Nicholson took 15th overall as he scored a 143.50 in the prelims, a 206.30 in the semifinals and a 259.25 in the finals giving the Tygers two divers in the Top 15.
-In the Division II boys district diving competition, Lexington's Deven Goodman was the top placer among Richland County competitors as he took third overall. He posted a 140 in the prelims, a 227.80 in the semifinals and a 307.50 in the finals to take a Top 3 spot. Fellow Minutemen diver Adam Britton was 10th among 16 divers. He scored a 105.95 in the prelims, a 177.70 in the semifinals and a 234.80 in the finals. Another Lexington diver also scored well as Quinnten Anderson was 12th overall scoring an 85.60 in the prelims, a 140.80 in the semifinals and a 192.65 in the finals.
-In the Division II district diving girls competition, Mansfield Senior's Macey Wade was among the top finishers taking seventh overall with a 150.15 in the prelims, 245.50 in the semifinals and 336.05 in the finals. Fellow Tygers Aspen Payne took 11th overall with a 136.75, 208.35 and 276.25. Crestview's Lila Oney was 15th out of 23 divers as she scored a 136.60, 209.05 and 257.30.
-The St. Peter's Spartans competed in the Division II sectional boys bowling tournament on Wednesday taking 12th as a team with 2,171 total pins. Freshman Quinn Chamberlin was the top scorer for the Spartans rolling a 166-128-131 -- 425 as he bowling the 41st-best score of the tournament. Senior Jack Thompson took 52nd individually with a 99-105-111 -- 315 while senior James Thompson was 53rd with a 98-110-100 -- 308 and senior Carter Fesler was 54th a 106-115-85 -- 294. Sophomore Lathan Beard rounded out the placing and scores for the Spartans taking 61st individually with a 72-89-63 -- 224.
-The Shelby Whippets survived a scare from Lexington and came away with a 56-50 Division IV sectional championship win. Eve Schwemley led the Whippets with 25 points while Serena Ramsey added 14, Alyssa Booker scored seven and Trinity Baker, Sophia Long, Braylee Sturts, Chloe Mahek and Natalie Kennard rounded out the scoring with two apiece. Ramsey pulled down six rebounds while Schwemley added three steals.
-The Clear Fork Colts won the program's 24 sectional championship and fourth in a row with a 65-26 win over Galion. Ashtyn Wine had a career-high 18 points while Mel Blubaugh added 15, Brinley Barnett had 12 and Elaina Pelkey scored 10 in the victory.
-Cardae Brown led the way with 26 points while Grayson Ambrose added 15 and Trindon Flenoury scored 12 in the Ontario Warriors' 63-49 win over Highland giving the Warriors a 7-15 regular-season record.
- Karsen Homan and Brayden DeVito led the way with 18 points apiece while Anderson Brubaker scored seven points and added 14 rebounds and four assists to lead the Shelby Whippets to a 64-54 overtime win over Pleasant.
-The St. Peter's Spartans posted the longest winning streak for the boys basketball program since the 2018-19 season with a 68-61 win over Crestline. Antonio Lindsay led the Spartans with 15 points while Markeis Johnson added 14, Sidiki Sissoko and Jaydon Fultz had 11 apiece and Jaxen Haynes scored 10 to help the Spartans improve to 7-10 on the season for the most wins in a single season since 2019-20.
-Davion Mack led the way with 21 points in Mansfield Christian's 45-39 win over Cardington.
-Seven Allen was dynamic in Lexington's 56-54 overtime win over Hiland scoring 17 points while adding four rebounds, three blocks and two steals as he came up with the game-winning block in overtime on Hiland's 3-point attempt. Joe Caudill added 12 points and 10 rebounds to go with four assists as Lexington ended the regular season 18-3.
-Andrew Brooks Jr. had the best game of his young career helping the Mansfield Senior Tygers beat West Holmes 73-38 with a career-high 26 points and seven rebounds while also adding four steals. Kyevi Roane added 12 points as the Tygers cruised to another OCC win.
-The Ontario girls swim team took home the first district runner-up trophy in program history behind strong performances. Mirielle Trumpower won the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.02 and took second in the 100 backstroke with a 57.47 while the 200 free relay team of Trumpower, Ava Zehe, Joie Simmering and Tessa Crum won the event with a 1:38.80 shaving off nearly four seconds from their seed time. The quartet also teamed up to win the 400 free relay with a time of 3:38.75 shaving more than eight seconds off of the seed time. Ontario earned automatic state qualifying spots in the events.
-Lexington's Kayla Caldwell highlighted a successful day for Lady Lex at the Division II district swim meet by taking first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:57.00 and was the district runner-up in the 500 free with a 5:18.55. The 200 medley relay team of Brynn Bruner, Katya Prykhodko, Kayla Caldwell and Emma Caldwell took second in the event with a 1:52.40. Lex earned automatic state qualifying spots in the events.
-Shelby's Emma Montgomery was a double district champion at the Division II district swim meet. She won the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.97 and dominated the 500 freestyle in 5:12.93. She is headed to state in both events.
-Ontario's Grantham Trumpower headlined a big day for the Warriors at the Division II district swim meet as he won the 50 freestyle in 21.57, the 200 free in 46.55 and was part of the 200 free relay team with Evan Ruhe, Logan Bernat and Owen Walter that took first with a 1:27.21 and anchored the 400 free relay team of Colten Montgomery, Walter and Ruhe to a district title with a time of 3:12.96 taking nearly eight seconds off of the seed time. The 200 medley relay team of Bernat, Carson Smith, Montgomery and Jackson Swiatek took third in the event with a 1:38.61 and will be in line for an at-large bid to state. Montgomery took third in the 100 butterfly and Bernat took second in the 100 back with a 53.41 to earn automatic state qualifying spots.
-Trey Nickoli paced a big day for the Lexington Minutemen at the Division II district swim meet. He won the district title in the 100 breaststroke with a 56.86 dropping three and a half seconds off of his seed time. The Minutemen's 200 medley relay team of Joe Hathaway, Nickoli, Cooper Watters and Oden Bell won the Division II district championship in the event with a 1:36.80 shaving nearly six seconds off of the seed time. Watters took third in the 200 free with a 1:46.58 and third in the 500 free with a 4:49.28 while Bell took second in the 50 free in 21.78 to earn automatic state qualifying spots in those events. Watters, Hathaway, Nickoli and Bell took third in the 200 free relay with a 3:18.57 and will likely earn an at-large bid to state.
-The Crestview Cougars took second place at the 2025 Firelands Conference wrestling championships. Sophomore Qwinton Howard won the 132-pound championship with an 8-0 major decision over Western Reserve's Dominic Reuting in the finals. Sophomore Brayden Parrigan won the 138-pound title with a pin on Plymouth's Ben Trimmer in 3:18 and junior Jack Stephens won the 165-pound championship with a pin on New London's Hunter Chandley in 1:23 in the title match. Junior Dylan Burge was second at 126 pounds while senior Andrew Mitchell took third at 144, Louscius Whitesel was third at 175 and sophomore Bronson Rose was second at 215.
-The Plymouth Big Red saw eight placers at the Firelands Conference wrestling meet headlined by 215-pound champion Noah Robinson who earned a pin on Crestview's Bronson Rose in the title match in 1:08. Freshman Lucas Distl took third at 106 while Thomas Winegardner was third at 113, junior Ben Trimmer was second at 138, senior Zach Miller was fourth at 157, sophomore Isaiah Miller was fourth at 165, senior Hunter McClure was second at 175 and sophomore Anthony Moore was fourth at 285. The Big Red finished in fifth as a team.
-The Lucas Cubs won just the sixth sectional championship in program history with a 50-16 win over Crestline. Katie Griffey led the team with 17 points while Olivia Brown added 10. It was just the second time in program history a team won both a league and sectional title in the same year.
-Kendyll Tolbert led the Plymouth girls basketball team to its first sectional championship in 15 years with 18 points in a 39-30 win over St. Paul in the Division VII tournament. Madison Montgomery added 10 points as the Big Red will play in their first district tournament in more than a decade.
-Ontario's Aiden Ohl led a successful day for the Warriors at the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference wrestling meet. He took home the 113-pound championship while senior Mason Turnbaugh also won a league championship at 150 pounds. Freshman Tyler Turnbaugh took second in the 120-pound weight class while sophomore Gavin Miller was the runner-up at 132 pounds, Weston Robertson was fourth at 138, junior Jimmy Unger was fourth at 157 pounds, senior Landon Sowards was third at 190 pounds and junior Trenton Maglott was second at 215 pounds.
-Clear Fork freshman Anthony Oscar led the Colts during a big day at the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference wrestling meet. He won the 138-pound championship with two pins on the day while freshman Luke Lee also won an MOAC title for the Colts at 144 pounds, sophomore Lakoda Leedy was the 165-pound champion and junior Tre Copeland won the 215-pound weight class. Junior Colton Wenger was the runner-up in the 113-pound weight class while senior Damon Hoskins took third at 132 pounds, senior Isaac Lee was fourth at 150 pounds, junior Landon Schlosser was third at 157 pounds, senior Blake Schlosser was second at 175 pounds and sophomore Alex Schlosser was second at 190 pounds.
-Shelby sophomore Mason Koch finished in third place in the 144-pound at the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference meet winning his third/fourth-place mat 24-6 while junior Christian Santiz took fourth at 190 pounds and sophomore Gavin Garrett took third at 285.
-The Madison Rams took third place as a team at the 2025 Ohio Cardinal Conference wrestling tournament with 208 team points. Sophomore Aiden Proctor took home the 157-pound OCC championship while junior Jaxin Stancombe won the 185-pound title giving the Rams two OCC champs for the day. Sophomore Caiden Byerly took third at 113 points while sophomore Hayden Lewis finished fourth at 120, senior Daniel Slaton took fourth at 126, sophomore Malachi Endicott was third at 132, sophomore Wyatt Kimes was third at 144, sophomore Jaxson Shaffer was third at 165, junior Gavin Cupp was third at 175, junior Alex Thompson took runner-up honors at 190 and senior Brayden Nungester was fourth at 215.
-The Lexington Minutemen took fifth place at the 2025 Ohio Cardinal Conference wrestling tournament with 112 team points. Senior Owen Reamsnider took runner-up honors at 144 pounds while junior Brandon Reaves took second at 150, junior Mason Frost was fourth at 157, junior Brayden Vance took fourth at 165, freshman Ryan Fox was fourth at 175, senior David Biggers was fourth at 190 and junior Nate Taylor took fourth at 285.
-Lucas senior Rayden Caudill was a KMAC runner-up in the 190-pound weight class.
-Crestview's Naomi Gearheart took runner-up honors in the 145-pound weight class of the Carrollton Lady Warriors Wrestling Invitational by going 4-1 on the day. She won three of her matches via pin with two coming in less than a minute of mat time.