Huntington North High School gymnastics team members Carly Snyder and Erica Freise punched their tickets to regional at the Concordia Lutheran Gymnastics Sectional on Saturday, March 8.

The top six finishers in each event, as well as in the all-around, earned a spot at the Huntington North Regional, set for Friday, March 14, at 6 p.m.

Snyder, a sophomore, advanced on the strength of two fifth place finishes, posting a 9.200 on balance beam and a 35.075 in the all-around, while Freise, a junior, moved on by placing sixth on the uneven bars with an 8.650.

Huntington North gymnast Erica Freise leaps on the balance beam during competition at the Concordia Lutheran Sectional on Saturday, March 8.

The Huntington North High School boys' varsity track and field team tied for seventh at the New Haven HSR Qualifier indoor meet held at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on Saturday, March 8.

The Vikings tallied 29 points to deadlock with Leo in the 15-team field in which the top eight places in each event scored.

Senior Charles Mettler posted Huntington North's best finish on the day, winning the 3,200-meter run in 9:55.78. Senior Luke Doughty clocked-in at 10:19.40 to take fourth.

The Crestview Middle School wrestling team defeated host Hartford City, 42-36, on Thursday, March 6.

The Cougars, 10-2, got wins from Adrien George, Gavin Rosen, Ricky Haught, Mason Landrum, Xander Kruel, Jacob Herz and Colten Hasty.

Adrien George, Ricky Haught and Gavin Rosen were two-time winners for the Crestview Middle School wrestling team in an unscored double dual meet against Lakeview and Edgewood on Wednesday, March 5.

Other winners for the Cougars included Jacob Herz, Cole Keller, Mason Landrum, Eric Reust, Keaton Smeltzer and Shawn Young.

The Crestview Middle School girls' eighth grade basketball team beat visiting Lakeview, 37-22, in the first round of the Northeast Lakes Middle School Conference tournament on Thursday, March 6.

Karmen Koch knocked down 10 points for the Cougars, 13-2, while Megan Gilpin netted nine and Hollyn Anderson supplied eight.

The seventh grade team lost, 32-22, ending its season.

Maddie Robrock paced Crestview, 7-8, with 10 points, and Lydia Riggers added five.

The Huntington Gymnastics Academy hosted the I Believe I Can Fly Championships on Sunday, March 2, in the Huntington North High School fieldhouse.

Competing in levels three through seven, HGA gymnasts captured second in levels four and five and fourth in levels three and seven.

In level four competition, Makenna Shearer and Emma Wilson shared top honors for HGA on vault, balance beam and in the all-around. Shearer also took first on bars and third in the floor exercise while Wilson claimed second on bars and floor.

Landon Cohen (right) is trapped between the boundary line and defender Braiden Martin during an Upward Basketball game between the Bulls and Pacers at College Park Church, in Huntington, on Saturday, March, 1.

Several area organizations are offering sign-ups for spring youth sports leagues.

Roanoke Youth Sports is offering three baseball leagues. T-ball is open to ages 4 to 5, coaches pitch is open to ages 6 to 8 and sand lot is open to ages 9 to 13.

When registering, parents or guardians should use a player's age as of May 1. Registration forms can be found at www.roanokeyouthsports.com and the registration deadline is Saturday, March 8.

Emalee Kline, a member of the Huntington Gymnastics Academy (HGA), maneuvers on the bars during the I Believe I Can Fly Championships hosted by HGA in the Huntington North High School fieldhouse on Sunday, March 2.

For the second year in a row, the Junior Lady Vikes travel basketball team won the Bruin Classic in Hartford City. Team members are (front row from left) Kendra Sandlin, Chelsea Swada, Grace Sell and Jayden Bennett; (second row from left) Leah Campbell, Hailee Kline, Skyla Tomasek, Meg Camomile, Addy Wiley and Taryn Jojola; and (back row from left) Head Coach Stacy Wiley, Assistant Coach Rich Swada and Assistant Coach Kamie Tomasek.

Homestead got its revenge on the Huntington North High School boys' basketball team for its season-opening loss by hanging a 59-47 loss on the host Vikings in the opener of the Huntington North Boys' Basketball Sectional on Tuesday, March 4.

The Spartans used 20 points and 20 rebounds from sophomore center Caleb Swanigan to get back at the Vikings for their 16-point triumph in the opener, way back on Nov. 27.

Huntington North, ending its season at 12-11, was led by seniors Matt Hogan and Kyle Platt with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

The Huntington University women's track and field team captured second at the Fred Wilt Memorial Invitational hosted by Anderson University on Saturday, March 1.

Erin Rockey and Gretchen Spahr each brought home a top finish to pace the Foresters. Rockey ran a personal-best 3:11.58 in the 1,000-meter run to claim first and move up a spot to seventh in the Huntington record books. Spahr took top honors in the 5,000-meter run, where she crossed the line in 19:25.03.

The Huntington University men's track and field team earned runner-up honors at the Fred Wilt Memorial Invitational hosted by Anderson University on Saturday, March 1.

Jake Nash continued his strong season in high jump, bringing home a top finish with his leap of 2.02 meters. He also claimed third in triple jump with a distance of 13.34 meters to earn 16 points for his team.

Austin Presnell was the Foresters' other top finisher. He won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:59.02.

The Crestview Middle School wrestling team topped visiting Marion McCulloch, 52-27, on Monday, March 3.

Preston Teusch was a two-time winner, helping the Cougars improve to 7-2.

Other winners for Crestview included Eric Reust, Adrien George, Gavin Rosen, Ricky Haught, Veronika Russell, Charlie Agnew, Mason Landrum and Colten Hasty.

Exhibition winners were Kalib Boxell, Megan Adkins, Andrew King, Xander Kreul and Jacob Herz.

The Crestview Middle School wrestling team placed second at its own invitational on Saturday, March 1.

Preston Teusch and Keaton Smeltzer produced four wins apiece for the Cougars, who compiled a 3-1 record on the day.

Three-time winners for Crestview were Adrien George, Gavin Rosen and Ricky Haught while Charlie Agnew, Xander Kreul, Shawn Young and Veronika Russell each won two matches.

Megan Adkins, Jacob Foster, Colten Hasty, Jacob Herz, Ben Johnson, Cole Keller, Mason Landrum and Cade MacAleese all triumphed in one match.

The Huntington Lady Eagles finished off their season by placing third at the Homeschool National Regionals held on Saturday, March 1, in Indianapolis.

The Lady Eagles, 22-6 won a pair of games with one loss to claim their place, overcoming the illness of starters Alyssa Lieffers and Abby Ballinger.

Four different regionals are held across the country and the Indianapolis regional featured six teams ranked in the nation's top 25.

The Huntington University baseball team opened up its season at IU Southeast over Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1, where it split the series, 2-2, with the Grenadiers.

In Friday's opener, Huntington outlasted their hosts, 8-4, in the first game but fell in the second, 5-3.

Senior left-hander John Ripke earned the win on the mound in the first game for HU as he scattered seven hits and four runs over six innings with four strikeouts. Bryce Anderson pitched an inning of scoreless relief.

The Huntington University softball team opened its season with a trip to Kentucky, where it went 2-2 over Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1.

Playing at Asbury University, 1-6, on Friday, the Foresters won the first game 9-1 but dropped the second 5-2.

Emily Puterbaugh pitched five innings of scoreless softball to guide her team to the win in game one of the doubleheader against the Eagles. She gave up one run and six hits with 11 strikeouts in six innings of work.

Mason Kline of the Bulls makes a break downcourt with teammates and Pacers in hot pursuit during an Upward Basketball session at College Park Church on Saturday, March 1.

Indiana Wesleyan stormed out of the gates and never looked back, hanging the Huntington University women's basketball team with a 71-60 loss in the semifinals of the Crossroads League tournament at Platt Arena on Friday, Feb. 28.

The third-seeded Wildcats, 26-6, advance to the tournament championship game against top-seeded Saint Francis on Monday, March 3, while the second-seeded Foresters, 23-8, will now wait to see if they receive an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championships, slated for March 12-18 in Sioux City, IA.

A close game at intermission got away from the Huntington North High School boys' varsity basketball team in the second half, as the Vikings lost to host Norwell in their regular season finale, 63-49, on Friday, Feb. 28.

Coach Rob Irwin's squad trailed 18-12 after the first quarter and 35-30 at halftime before getting blitzed in the third frame, 18-9, to land in a 53-39 hole. Norwell, 16-6, held Huntington North to 10 points in the final period while tossing in 10 of its own to seal the win.

Dave Switzer, who has more than 25 years' experience as a baseball umpire, as well as being an instructor and published author, will present a lecture at the Honeywell House showcasing the highlights of his career behind home plate.

The presentation will take place on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. Sponsor for this presentation is First Merchants Bank.

Jake Nash and Christine Sparks of the Huntington University men's and women's track and field teams, respectively, will be making their college debuts at the 2014 NAIA National Track and Field Indoor Championships set for March 6 to 8 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, OH.