ROSSFORD — Lake juniors Luke Steep and Micah Balsmayer are on a mission. Next year, they want to see a Northern Buckeye Conference boys track championship at Lake and they want to play a part in getting that done.

“I’ve got on my phone (a picture of) the banner in the gym for track — there is nothing on our banner. I want that up there,” Steep said.

The Lake distance duo did their part on Saturday to win events, but the Flyers finished third in the team standings behind Oak Harbor and Eastwood at the Rossford Athletic Center.

Lake took the 4×800 meter relay championship, finishing in 8:25.88 to defeat an Oak Harbor team (8:39.07). On the Lake team was Steep, Balsmayer, and seniors Figgy Garcia and Connor McClellan.

Steep also went on to win the 1600 run, finishing in 4:32.25. He was followed to the tape by Maumee junior William Boyles (4:43.88) and Balsmayer (4:47.52), but this event has been on Steep’s radar for awhile because he just turned his focus to distance running.

“I’ve been looking forward to this race ever since last year’s league championship,” Steep said. “It’s so hard to process — I did football in the fall my first two years, and I know I could offer more for track.

“It was my hardest race, so I wanted to leave it all out there, so I did cross country and put in that work and then I just left it all here. I’ve still got a lot more work to do though.”

Balsmayer said he did his best to catch Boyles so he and Steep could finish one-two, but could not quite get there.

“I couldn’t catch the one newcomer from Maumee. He’s a solid guy,” Balsmayer said. “I’m a little bummed about that because we were trying to get our first league championship ever as a team, but I’m not too disappointed. It was a good showing.”

Steep and Balsmayer say you can call them a team within a team because they have always worked out together, pushing each other. The two keep each other’s minds focused on track.

“This guy is one of the best runners I know,” Steep said of Balsmayer. “He’s been my motivation and I hope I win his motivation because that is what competition is all about. The competition makes each other better, and that is what sports are all about.”

Balsmayer admitted he provided some of the motivation that pushed Steep to run track.

“He did run cross country in middle school, but then he played football,” Balsmayer said. “Then we both had that friendly competition going, so that really set him apart.

“He’s a hard worker, Man. He just keeps going and we just pushing each other on this track team. It’s just been fun. I love running against him, I love running with him. It’s great to have him on my team.”

Strahm, Kellermeier win championships

Otsego junior Nathan Strahm won the 800, finishing in 2:00.52 to defeat second place Oak Harbor sophomore Bodee Miller (2:06,93).

Strahm, who finished 11th at state in the 800 last year, had the fourth fastest time in NBC history, and won this event after running two other events, admitting he was tired. This was his first league championship.

“I didn’t think my legs were the best, but when you run the 800 you don’t have much of a choice,” Strahm said. “That is all you’ve got and all you’ve got left.”

He said it is all about taking care of yourself.

“I just make sure I get a real good meal before, the day before a good sleep and a good breakfast in the morning,” Strahm said. “It’s one step at a time — districts, regionals and hopefully I’ll go to state.”

Otsego junior Wesley Kellermeier won the 3200 in 10:21.81 to beat Boyles (10:28.97) and Balsmayer (10:37.85). Kellermeier said fighting poor weather conditions did not make the run any easier.

“It was a little tough in some places, but I just pushed through and got it done. It was a little brutal in some places but I had to push through. I knew I could do it,” Kellermeier said.

Kellermeier added a comment that reflected what you saw on the track before and after every event—athletes from different schools encouraging each other and then congratulating each other afterward.

“It’s like before races, after races, you are all talking and everything, and it’s a real good time,” Kellermeier said. “There is no bad blood. I mean, you are all good friends running together.”