Hartford wins Coaches vs. Cancer game

 Hartford welcomed Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore division rival Watervliet for hoops action in the school’s annual Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser on Friday, January 13.

Hartford starters included Hunter Ackerman, Jake Griffith, William Martinez, Austin Nelson, and Garrod Johnson.

OVER THE TOP… Water-vliet’s Ariana Rowe shoots the ball Friday over the outstretched arm of Hartford’s Mikenzie Chambers. Watervliet won the Coaches vs. Cancer basketball game Friday evening 48-44. Rowe scored six points for Watervliet. In the back-ground is Hartford’s Jessica Cortes. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Watervliet sent Trent Boone, Ryan Chisek, James Bell, Bryant Kieft, and Daniel Cluster to the floor for the opening tip off.

Bell opened the scoring by nailing a 3-pointer. Hartford’s Nelson responded with a 3-pointer of his own. Hartford then scored seven unanswered points before Watervliet’s Cam Rendo sank a 3-point shot.

Hartford’s Trey Ackerman sank two free throws before Watervliet’s Kieft hit the basket on a rebounded shot.

Martinez scored another two points which gave Hartford a 14-8 lead after the first period.

The Indians opened up the second period by scoring 10 points before Rendo posted another 3-pointer to stop Hartford.

Watervliet’s Daniel Cluster sank a basket and Rendo banked another 3-pointer to draw to within nine, 27-16.

Cluster grabbed a rebound and sank a bucket. As the second period closed out, Hartford’s Rolando Contreras scored on a layup and jumper.

Rendo tried to score on another shot beyond the arc as time expired but the ball banged off the rim. Hartford held a 33-18 lead at the end of the first half.

During half-time, Hartford High School principal Dave Janicki and athletic director Nick Blackmer presented longtime volunteers Daun and Bud Pitcher with a plaque thanking them for their service and loyalty to Hartford sports. It was a wonderful gesture to two caring, deserving people.

The basketball game resumed with Austin Nelson stepping up in the third period. He returned to shooting the long ball and got some scoring help from Martinez and Logan Goble. The Indians continued to lead the game at the end of the third period, 43-31.

Give Watervliet credit. The Panthers did not give up. In the fourth quarter, they scored 10 points. The Indians added another 12 to win the game 55-41. Martinez was the leading scorer for Hartford. He tallied 20 points. Nelson scored 11 points.

Rendo led Watervliet with 12 points. Cluster added 10 points.

Watervliet remains undefeated despite 18 points from Hartford’s Jackson

 The early game in Hartford’s Coaches vs. Cancer fundraising event featured the young ladies from Watervliet and Hartford taking it to the hard court.

Watervliet held on against a pesky Hartford squad for the 48-44 win.

Watervliet was in high gear in the first period, scoring 16 points. The Lady Panthers smothered the Indians offense, and at one point held a 12-point lead. Pressure from Watervliet kept Hartford from having enough time to get their shots up and forced quite a few turnovers.  At the end of the first period, Watervliet led 16-6.

The first two minutes of the second period saw the ball exchanging hands but not making its way to a bucket. AJ Jackson finally scored two points on two free throws for the first points of the period.

Hartford did a better job landing their shots as they worked to slow down Watervliet’s offense. Both teams scored eight points in the second period. Watervliet trailed 24-14 at intermission.

In the third period, Hartford rallied for 15 points, while Watervliet scored nine. Katie Schultz turned in five of her team’s nine.

In the fourth period, Hartford tried to overtake Watervliet’s lead; the Indians scored 15 points, eight of which came off the hands of Jackson.

Watervliet spent much of the fourth period at the free throw line. The team had 18 attempts and made nine from the charity stripe.

In the end, it was Watervliet with the exciting 48-44 victory.

Mizwicki led the Panthers with 14 points and grabbed 15 boards. Schultz scored nine, including the team’s lone 3-pointer, and Casie Gohr chipped in eight.  Zoe Smith scored seven points.  Taylor Shafer and Ariana Rowe sank four points each, and Kara Liles scored two points.

Jackson led Hartford with 18 points and 10 boards, nailing the double double. Jessica Cortes scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds and had three assists.

Amara Wesaw scored seven points and had five steals.  Marissa Beraza tossed in four points, as Megan Nelson scored three points.  Mikenzie Chambers also scored three points, and Elly Valdes had two.

With the win Watervliet improved to 5-0 in the SAC.

Coloma’s LeClear, Spaulding, and Reese undefeated against Schoolcraft and Bangor

Coloma wrestlers tangled with Schoolcraft and Bangor on Wednesday, January 11. Dylan LeClear, Harrison Spaulding, and Cody Reese were undefeated on the evening.

Coloma was out wrestled by Schoolcraft and lost 61-17. LeClear pinned Taylor Myer in the 112 lb. weight class one minute into the first period.

Harrison Spaulding (119) pinned Johan Moan at 1:40.

Cody Reese (125) won by technical fall over Brady Gilaspie at 3:41.

Suffering losses for the Comets were Cole Allsup (heavyweight), Teo Mastral (103), Ian Ishmael (130), Nathan Wilder (135), Mike Case (140), Alec DeLaTorre (145), Dalton Turner (160), and Billy Boyd (215).

Coloma forfeited matches at 152, 171, and 189.

LOCKED AND LOADED… Hartford’s Tristan Hanners has Juagar Rastall of Fennville all locked up during their 140 lb. match at the Trent McKinney Memorial wrestling invitational in Watervliet. Hanners pinned Rastall for the win. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Trent McKinney Memorial wrestling meet held at Watervliet

 The annual Trent McKinney memorial wrestling meet hosted by Watervliet was held Wednesday, January 11. Schools from Fennville, Gobles, Hartford, and the host Panthers participated in the quad.

Hartford continued to compete with four wrestlers.

In the 152 lb. weight class, Austin Spires pinned Fennville’s Mauricio Beddla in the second period. James Terry also notched a win for Hartford; in the 160 class he pinned Emilio Martinez.

Sam Shank pinned his opponent in 28 seconds, and after Tristan Hanners topped Juagar Rastall by a pin in the 140 lb. weight class, the Hartford wrestlers were 4-0 on the night. However, Fennville would go on to win.

Watervliet faced Gobles and lost 48-14. Panthers winning their matches were Brad Yazel (152), Matt Melcher (189), and Klayton Marshall (125).

Trevor Pelton, Alex Isbrecht, and Coby Henslee were defeated by Gobles wrestlers.

Taking the mat against Fennville, Watervliet out battled the Black Hawks 30-28 for the win.

Matt Melcher (189), Alex Isbrecht (119), Klayton Marshall (125), and Brad Yazel (152) were victorious in their contested bouts.

Coby Henslee lost his match in the 140 lb. weight class.

Watervliet Rec baseball and softball sign up dates posted

 Jen VanNiel, president of the Watervliet Rec Council, has announced sign up dates for the upcoming rec baseball and softball season.

Sign ups will be held: Sunday, February 5 from 9:00 a.m. until noon; Tuesday, February 7 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, February 11 from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Parents are asked to bring the baseball and/or softball player with them to sign ups so uniforms can be sized at that time.

Mark your calendars! The time to “Play ball!” will be here before you know it!

Martinez hits 23 points as Hartford beats Bangor

 Hartford hosted Bangor Tuesday, January 11 for a little hoops action.  Although the score might appear like the Indians ran away with the game, the truth is it took a 20-point fourth quarter before Hartford could put the game away, winning 71-56.

Bangor led 19-18 after the start of a white-hot first period for both teams.  The squads exchanged point for point in the second period with 17 apiece.  Bangor led by one at intermission, 36-35.

The Indians scored 16 points in the third period and limited Bangor to 11.

The Hartford offense and defense were both on their A-game in the fourth period. The offense racked up 20 points, and the defense shuttered Bangor’s ball handling. Bangor scored just nine points to finish out the game.

William Martinez scored 23 points for Hartford. Austin Nelson chipped in 20 points, and Garrod Johnson scored 16.

Watervliet whipped 82-38 by Fennville

 Watervliet basketball is having a rough time on the court since opening their season. The squad was 0-3 prior to the game against Fennville last week.

And, unfortunately, a win was not in their future on January 10. The Panthers hosted a hot Fennville squad that was laser focused on scoring buckets. It was a runaway from the get-go.

Watervliet opened the first period lethargic and unable to produce much offense. Fennville scored 20 points to Watervliet’s nine. In the second period, the Black Hawk scoring blitz continued, and at the half Fennville led 37-19.

The Panthers did not fare any better in the third period. Fennville took a 66-31 lead into the fourth period. Watervliet mustered seven points in the final eight minutes of the game. Fennville blew out Watervliet 82-38.

Watervliet head coach Chris Prom commented, “The Panthers struggled against (Fennville’s) full court press, which led to easy transition baskets for Fennville.”

Daniel Cluster continued to do a nice job under the bucket. He scored 17 points. James Bell added seven points. Bryant Kieft scored six points.

Gobles crept past Coloma

 The Gobles Tigers eked out a 59-58 overtime victory on Tuesday, January 11 over their visiting Southwestern Athletic Conference foe, the Coloma Comets.

Gohr leads Watervliet past Fennville

 Casie Gohr poured in 18 points and provided eight rebounds and three assists in the 53-22 Watervliet victory at home over Fennville.

Watervliet jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it. The Lady Panthers led 13-6 after the first period.

The squad scored another 18 points in the second period and held Fennville to six points. At the half, Watervliet enjoyed a 31-12 lead.

Watervliet outscored Fennville 22-10 in the second half of the game for the 53-22 win.

The Lady Panthers proved just how talented their team is. Nine players scored for Watervliet.

Ariana Rowe chipped in 10 points, while Logan Mizwicki scored seven points and snagged seven rebounds. Katie Schultz had three points and six rebounds. Jaelyn Pitre tallied three points and three steals. Taylor Shafer provided two points, four assists, and six steals. Madalynn Hutchins scored two points and grabbed four boards. Katie Clark had one point and six rebounds. Jade Miller was credited with five steals and six rebounds during the contest.

With the victory, Watervliet improved to 6-3 on the season and remain undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore division with a 5-0 record.

CUFFED… Watervliet’s Klayton Marshall locks the wrist of Gobles’ Henry Loomis in their 125 lb. bout during the Trent McKinney Memorial wrestling invitational. Marshall topped Loomis by technical fall 15-0 in the third period of their match. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Watervliet’s Klayton Marshall takes first at Fruitport Legends Tournament

 Watervliet wrestling’s Klayton Marshall won the championship in the 125 lb. weight class Saturday at the Fruitport Legends Tournament.  He beat Tyler Lynch of Lowell, 9-0.

Matt Melcher took fourth place after he lost 12-2 in the 189 lb. bout to Seth Buresh of Hamilton.

Trevor Pelton took fifth place in the 103 weight class. He topped Connor Sykes of Fruitport by a 15-0 technical fall.

Brad Yazel (152) finished in sixth place, falling to Aiden Herrema of Grandville 12-10 in sudden victory.

Logan Swigart also finished sixth. He was pinned by Grandville’s Bryce Henning in the 215 bout.

Goodline scores 33 as Coloma clips Saugatuck 61-52

Coloma improved to 5-5 overall this season after defeating Saugatuck 61-52 on the road Friday, January 13.

Exciting game? Check. Thrilling Comet victory? Check. Teammates coming together to make plays? Check.  Everything Coloma coach Paul Marfia hoped his young squad would learn this season came to fruition on Friday the 13th.

Coloma and Saugatuck gave as good as they got through the first half. The score was tied 15-15 at the end of the first period and 24-24 at the end of the first half.

Coloma finally took the lead in the third period and built on that lead to outscore their rivals 35-28.

Zach Goodline continues to lead the Comets. He scored 33 points including four 3-pointers and 13 of 15 shots from the free throw line.  Calvin Starnes had his best game of the season; he scored 13 points including four 3-pointers.

Levi Wilkens added five points to the Comet cause.  Grant Kroschel, Robbie Schroeder, Kobe Hunter, Adam Hearn, and Michael Dancer scored two points each.

Coloma hit 15 of 19 free throw attempts, a whopping 79% percent.

Marfia stated, “I feel we really grew up in this game and began to understand what good offense looks like.” Kudos to Coloma on their impressive play!

Hartford Wrestling won’t quit

 Hartford is fielding a small wrestling team. A team so small they will not win any meet.  The three or four wrestlers, however, deserve a ton of support for their no-quit attitude and sublime spirit.

The squad participated in the Parchment Super Duals on Saturday, January 14.

Against Central Montcalm, Hartford lost 48-12. But, two of the three Indians wrestlers who trekked to meet won their individual matches.

Sam Shank, wrestling in the 135 lb. weight class pinned Dakota Weston 18 seconds into their match.

Austin Spires pinned Tyler Laux in the 145 lb. weight class at 2:20.

Hartford’s Tristan Hanners was pinned by Jacob Wright in the 140 lb. weight class.

The Indians also faced Plainwell and lost 67-6.

Sam Shank remained perfect on the day after he pinned Plainwell’s Mike Kirsch at 1:27 (130 class).

Hanners dropped his second bout of the day after he lost 13-4 to Freddie Gonzalez (140).

Spires, wrestling at 145, lost to Devon Platt 17-10.

Show the Indian wrestlers some love. Support them at their next meet!

Wesaw leads Hartford in 53-22 Bangor bashing

 The Hartford Indians bashed Bangor 53-22 Tuesday, January 10 on the road. Bangor was overmatched and outplayed from the beginning of the contest.

In the first period, Hartford scored 13 points. Jessica Cortes landed two 3-pointers for the Indians while Madison Garland scored one of her own.  The Indians enjoyed a healthy 13-6 lead at the end of the first period.

In the second period, Hartford continued to blow past the Bangor defense for easy buckets.  The Indians scored 11 points and limited Bangor to just four points. At the half, Hartford led 24-10.

Third period action found Hartford scoring 12 points courtesy of five different players, including Cortes and Amara Wesaw who sank 3-point shots. Bangor added six points for their effort, and the Indians continued to lead the game.

The game closed out with Hartford adding 17 points to the scoreboard in the fourth period. Cora Wesaw scored six points for the Indians.

In the end, Hartford went on to win the easy matchup, 53-22.

Cora Wesaw led Hartford with 12 points. Cortes and Chambers chipped in nine points apiece. AJ Jackson scored eight points. Beraza and Amara Wesaw both scored five points.  Madisyn Earls added four points, and Madison Garland contributed three points.

Jackson led the defensive effort with eight rebounds, while Beraza and Chambers had seven boards each. Amara Wesaw notched four steals.

Coloma sends wrestlers to Mendon Stephenson Memorial Duals

 The Coloma wrestling team received quite a workout Saturday, January 14 at the Mendon Stephenson Memorial Duals. Coloma beat Paw Paw 47-34 and Galesburg-Augusta 65-18 but lost 70-12 to DeWitt, 56-24 to Harper Creek, and 56-18 to Niles.

Winning contested matches for the Comets against Harper Creek were Cole Allmon (152 lb. weight class), who pinned Rivaldo Hernandez at 5:01, and Jamane Smith, who pinned Aspen Kortz at 2:42 in the 189 bout. Ian Ishmael pinned Dakota Trimm at 3:43 in the 130 lb. weight class.

Against DeWitt, Allsup (285) pinned Douglas Trutzl at 2:00, while Dylan LeClear pinned Jordan Weber at 1:32 in the 112 match.

Four Comets bested wrestlers from Niles. Smith (189) won a 7-2 decision over Kenneth Krempetz. LeClear (112) notched a pin at 0:57 over Carrie Couch.

Cody Reese (125) pinned Skylar Means at 3:37 of their match, and Ishmael (130) won a 10-5 decision over Austin Reid.

Allsup also scored a victory over Paw Paw’s Isai Nunez. The two faced off in a heavyweight (285) match, with Allsup pinning Nunez at 3:08.

Harrison Spaulding won by technical fall in the 119 lb. weight class over Jack Serbenshi of Paw Paw.

Contested matches against Galesburg-Augusta included victories for Coloma by Smith, Calvin Hutchinson, Allsup, Teo Mastral, LeClear, Spaulding, Cody Reese, and Nathan Wilder.

Smith (189) pinned Alonzo Franklin at 3:19. Hutchinson notched a win by pin over Kyle Knowlton-Branch in the 215 lb. weight class. Allsup pinned Joshua Miner in the heavyweight bout at 1:15.

Mastral pinned Blake Hoffman in under less than a minute in the 103 class. LeClear (112) pinned Daniel Wiggins in 13 seconds. Spaulding (119) pinned Mason Weber at 1:20.

Reese (125) defeated Jacob Guess by technical fall 21-4. Wilder pinned Markus Lamphear in the 135 weight class.

AQB WK 21 WRAP UP

Hildebrand predicts 4-0 week perfectly in AQB action; Leach climbs out of the cellar

By Kristy Noack

Tim Hildebrand went 2-0, as in two weeks of picking perfectly. Last week Hildebrand was 5-0 in the college national championship and National Football League playoff games. This week he doubled his greatness by correctly predicting a 4-0 record. Hildebrand is hot!

Six local football fans have spent the last 21 weeks predicting the winners of high school, college, and professional football games in the Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterback contest. The winner holding the best overall record at the conclusion of the football season will win a spectacular TCR AQB championship cap.

Should our pre-eminent pickers tie with one or more competitor, they must also determine the total score in one specially selected game. The tie-breaker is used to determine the AQB’s place on the leaderboard.

Hildebrand’s 4-0 record this week landed him in the top spot for the week. RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht, Rodney Lynch, and Chris Leach all tied with 3-1 records. That meant the tie-breaker game came into play.

Pittsburgh traveled to Kansas City for a shot at defeating the Chiefs. And they did, 18-16. With her 42-point guess, Leach took second place. Lynch’s 44-point guess gave him third place, leaving Rodney-Isbrecht in fourth place for the week with her 49-point guess.

Greg Krell finished the week in fifth place; he went 2-2. Tom Gear gambled on all four games but lost. He was 0-4 for the week and ended up in sixth place.

Hildebrand and Gear were the big movers for the week. Hildebrand climbed one game closer to first place and booted Krell from the second place position. Gear fell hard to sixth place, as Leach has climbed from the cellar for the first time this season.

Overall, Rodney-Isbrecht maintains a tight grip on first place in the standings. She holds a 119-42 record and is comfortably in the lead. With only three games left in the season, we could call the contest now, but that would not be sporting. It’s not over until it’s over!

Hildebrand made his move late in the season and has taken sole possession of second place. His record is 113-48.

Krell is in third place with a 112-49 record and trails Rodney-Isbrecht by seven games and Hildebrand by one. There’s still time for Krell to retake second place.

Fourth place belongs to Lynch. He holds a 110-51 record. There are only two games separating him from third place.

Leach makes a new home in fifth place with her 95-66 record. She is one game ahead of Gear, who is in sixth place with a 94-67 record.

There are only two games on tap this week as the NFL marches toward the Super Bowl. Our AQBs must determine the winner of the following Sunday conference matchups:

Green Bay @ Atlanta

Pittsburgh @ New England

Our super six will need to predict the total points scored in our tie-breaker game of the Packers facing the Falcons.

What a wild way to end week 21!