Richland 200: Underrated athletes make up Nos. 111-120

Mansfield News Journal

Ontario's Baylee Black is the No. 120 athlete in the Richland 200.

You see it every year.

A great athlete who is a true team player just simply doesn't get the postseason recognition he or she deserves.

That is who makes up Nos. 111-120 in this edition of the Richland 200. Here is our next batch of athletes who were simply underrated in 2021-22.

120: Baylee Black, Ontario

Black was one of the most underrated cross country runners in Richland County last fall. She took 13th overall at the district meet with a 20:19.3 before posting a 21:02.1 at the regional meet to take 26th overall. Not too bad for a freshman. With three years left in her running career, Black could make quite a name for herself by the time it is all said and done.

119: Ethan Slone, Lexington

As a sophomore, Slone helped the Minutemen win the Division II cross country regional championship and had a nice showing at state for a youngster. He ran a 17:37.8 to finish 140th out of 180 runners. The Lex boys cross country team had been down for a couple of years, but a young group of hungry runners has it back on the rise again thanks to underrated kids like Slone.

Lucas' Ty Lehnhart is the No. 118 athlete in the Richland 200.

118: Ty Lehnhart, Lucas

Lehnhart was without a doubt the most underrated boy basketball player during the 2021-22 season. He earned second team All-Mid-Buckeye Conference honors after averaging 8.7 points a game and was undoubtedly the best defensive player for the Mid-Buckeye Conference champions. He saved his best game for last by scoring 23 points in a district semifinal loss to South Central. With Lehnhart back along with the entire starting lineup, the Cubs should be right back in the thick of the district championship race yet again in 2022-23.

Mansfield Senior's Monetta Hilory is the No. 117 athlete in the Richland 200.

117: Monetta Hilory, Mansfield Senior

After averaging 9.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 steals for the Tygers girls basketball team, Hilory proved just how underrated she was when she earned honorable mention All-Northwest District and honorable mention All-District 6 honors. The first team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference player deserved much more than honorable mention from the districts, but that will only light a fire in the smooth-handling point guard.

116: Trey Nickoli, Lexington

As a freshman last season, Nickoli was a two-event state qualifier helping the Lex 200 freestyle relay team advance before a 22nd-place finish in the prelims. Nickoli swam the second-fastest leg of the relay going 22.67 with the only faster leg coming from senior Tanner Holmes with a 21.65. Nickoli was also the 19th-fastest 100 breaststroke swimmer in the state with a 1:01.00 missing out on qualifying for the finals by .08 seconds. In 2021-22, Nickoli was the definition of underrated.

Lexington's Mitch Riegel is the No. 115 athlete in the Richland 200.

115: Mitch Riegel, Lexington

As a sophomore, Riegel earned a state berth in the 1-meter diving competition where his prelim score of 132.30 was good for 22nd in the entire state. Known for its success, the Lex diving program is in great shape heading into the next couple of years thanks to underrated guys like Riegel.

Clear Fork's Fred Proto is the No. 114 athlete in the Richland 200.

114: Fred Proto, Clear Fork

Proto went on to win the 215-pound Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship by pinning Highland's Ethan Taylor in 3:34. While he didn't have a very long tournament run, he finished sixth in the sectional, Proto has been consistent over the last three years and very underrated as a wrestler. He is back for his senior year ready to make one final run at a district berth.

Madison's Michael Thomas is the No. 113 athlete in the Richland 200.

113: Michael Thomas, Madison

As a freshman 106-pounder, Thomas was runner up at the Ohio Cardinal Conference meet before taking runner-up honors at 120 in the Division II sectional tournament at Sandusky. He followed that up by taking eighth at the Division II district meet in Norwalk. That is a very underrated performance for a freshman and with three years left, look out for this kid.

Shelby's Landon Kennard is the No. 112 athlete in the Richland 200.

112: Landon Kennard, Shelby

Kennard was possibly the most underrated pitcher in all of Richland County baseball in the spring. He went 4-3 with a 3.83 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 42 innings. He earned honorable mention All-District 9 and honorable mention All-MOAC honors as a junior but probably deserved more especially after collecting 21 hits and 17 RBIs for the Whippets.

Clear Fork's Kendall Windsor is the No. 111 athlete in the Richland 200.

111: Kendall Windsor, Clear Fork

As a sophomore last season, Windsor broke out on the pitch for the Colts scoring 12 goals and adding nine assists earning second team All-District and second team All-MOAC honors along the way. Watching her on the pitch, it is obvious she is just different from everyone else as her athleticism, speed and awareness were all well beyond her years. Only earning second team honors after the type of year she had proved she is possibly the most underrated athlete in Richland County.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11