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SALINEVILLE - Southern Local High School senior Gabe Blissenbach has been named the Salineville Kiwanis Student of the Month for September.
Blissenbach, the son of Karl and Carrie Blissenbach of Lisbon, has demonstrated exemplary academic and athletic achievement at Southern Local High School. He holds a 4.3 GPA and is ranked fourth in his class. He has also completed 25 hours of College Credit Plus courses thus far and has amassed an impressive athletic record during his high school career.
He is a three-year varsity letter winner in football and has received All-County EOAC Defensive Honorable Mention in 2021 and 1st Team All-Columbiana County All-Stars, Honorable Mention All-Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, Honorable Mention Morning Journal All-Area Football Team, All-County EOAC First Team Defense, Quad Country First Team Defense and All-Northeast Inland District Defensive Honorable Mention honors in 2022. Blissenbach is also a three-year varsity letter winner in wrestling and earned All-County EOAC First Team, sectional placer and district qualifier in 2021 and was sectional placer, district placer, All-County EOAC First Team and a Southern Local Indian Award recipient in 2022. This past year, he gained fifth place at the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Championships, was a sectional runner up, district placer, state qualifier, Southern Local Tomahawk Award recipient, and was fourth place at Ohio Freestyle States USA Wrestling Junior Men and a competitor on the Ohio Junior Men's National Team at Fargo, N.D.
Blissenbach is also a three-year letter winner in baseball and received the Southern Local Indian Award in 2022.
Additionally, he is a prominent member of Southern Local's Future Farmers of America and current chapter vice president, receiving the Greenhand Degree in 2020 and Chapter Degree in 2021, was named chaplain in 2022 and was a youth representative this year at the Columbiana and Area County Farm Bureau at Ag Day at the Ohio Statehouse where he spoke to state representatives and senators regarding local agriculture concerns and the farm budget.
He has been employed for the past four years at a local 800-acre grain and cattle farm and also works on the family livestock and tree farm. Other accomplishments include memberships in the National Honor Society and Boy Scouts of America; completing a community Eagle Scout project this summer on a 2,400-square-foot park and picnic area with brick pavers and picnic tables between the Utica Shale Academy's Hudson Building and the Salineville Village Building; volunteering as a youth coach at area club wrestling; being a member of St. George Church in Lisbon and volunteering for church projects and altar serving; and being a former member of 4-H and Youth Rodeo.
Following graduation, he plans to pursue a career in environmental science or forestry, but his college choice is undetermined. Blissenbach also hopes to join the wrestling team.