(From Athletic Director Nate Weihrauch)
Today we had the opportunity to once again celebrate a few of our Findlay Athletes taking the next step in their life.
Having the opportunity to play at the next level can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
The ability to compete after high school, balancing academics while also fostering teamwork, discipline, and time management skills will be invaluable in life after graduation.
We certainly wish each of our student-athletes the very best and look forward to their development and growth at the collegiate level.
Katelyn Stechschulte: Ohio Northern – Track and Basketball
Esmeralda Schroeder – Sienna Heights – Girls Wrestling
Christian Rose – Ohio Northern – Bowling/Football
Elijah Johnson: Football – St. Ambrose, Iowa
Baret Helms: Ohio Northern – Football
Katelyn Stechschulte: Ohio Northern – Track and Basketball
Katelyn is a multi-sport athlete who is a four-time letter winner for track and a three-time letter winner for basketball. She is a three-year starter for the Lady Trojans basketball team. Her athleticism, work ethic, and defensive tenacity helped guide her team to 4 consecutive winning seasons, 3 sectional titles, and a district-runner-up finish this past season. Katelyn is a fierce competitor and a leader on the floor and on the track. During her junior year, Katelyn earned first-team All-league and academic honors in the TRAC and third-team Northwest District honors. This past season, Katelyn earned second-team All-League and academic honors in the NLL and third-team Northwest District honors. She was selected to participate in the District 8 and the Fostoria Boosters All-Star games. While in track she is currently second all-time in Findlay History in the long jump as she looks to break this record this season and is also the current record holder in the 4×100 relay. What is even more impressive than her athletic accomplishments, is that Katelyn is an outstanding student and caring individual who is a leader amongst her peers. Katelyn is a tremendous role model and exemplifies what it means to be a student/athlete and a Findlay Trojan. Congratulations Katelyn.
Esmeralda Schroeder – Sienna Heights – Girls Wrestling
Esmeralda has been a two-year letter-winner for the Trojan wrestling team and a two-year Regional qualifier. In her senior season, she had 21 wins including 19 by fall and 1 technical fall. This resulted in a record-setting Bonus Point Win Percentage of 95%. This success did not come by accident. Esmeralda has focused heavily on wrestling both at FHS during the season and Freestyle wrestling in the off-season. In addition to her work on the mat, Esmeralda has also excelled as a student at FHS achieving all academic honors and is one of the reasons for the FHS Girls Wrestling team receiving Academic All-Ohio Honors over the past two years. We could not be prouder of her and look forward to the next chapter in her life. Congratulations!
Christian Rose – Ohio Northern – Bowling/Football
Christian put in the time and effort last offseason to become a varsity player for the bowling and football teams. In our first season as a varsity sport at Findlay High School for Bowling, he is 1 of 7 boys to be involved in the bowling program both years of its existence. Christian had a high game this year of 198 and a high 2-game series of 339 during league play this year. Christian is also a scholar athlete who excels in the classroom. He is also a member of Boy Scout Troop 304 where he earned his Eagle Scout award and in his spare time also works at Subway. Congrats to Christian and his family. We look forward to seeing Christian’s growth in his next chapter as a collegiate athlete. Thank you, Christian!
Elijah Johnson: Football – St. Ambrose, Iowa
Elijah was a three-year letterman who made an impact during the 2022 season after he moved positions from Linebacker to Defensive End to help the team. Elijah might not say it out loud or always showed it but he cared so much about each and every one of his teammates and wanted to see Trojan Football be successful. Like every player he hated losing more than he loved winning. During his 2023 season, he appeared in all 11 games and finished with 15 tackles and 5 tackles for loss as a defensive end. His leadership and play led the Trojans to the NLL title this past season. I have always appreciated Elijah and he will be missed. We wish him success in this new chapter in his life. Congratulations Elijah!
Baret Helms: Ohio Northern – Football
Baret Helms is a two-time letterman for Trojan Football. Baret had an incredible off-season and led by example in the weight room. He was part of our 2023 Leadership Group and a four-year member of the FFe and FHS Choir. Before the season, Baret had a scary injury that put his first Varsity opportunity at risk but if you know the tough-as-nails Baret like we do you knew nothing was going to stop him. He went on to start all 11 games and become a true leader of our Defensive Backfield. He commanded the attention of the others, he kept everyone together. He finished the year with 33 Tackles – 1 INT – and 4 Pass break-ups while helping to lead the Trojans to the NLL Championship this past season. While all of this is impressive, NOTHING is more impressive than Baret’s 4.0 he has been able to maintain during his High School Career. He is the True definition of a Student-Athlete. Congratulations Baret as we look forward to following you in the years to come.