Hartford wrestling team finishes campaign at Individual State Finals
Last week, three members of the Hartford Husky wrestling team returned to the mat one last time in postseason competition, as they competed at the Michigan High School Athletic Association individual state finals held at Ford Field in Detroit. After the trials and tribulations of a season filled with plenty of emotions, it takes a lot of hard work to be one of sixteen wrestlers in each weight class to earn a starring role under the lights on the seasons’ last weekend.
Working their way through individual districts and regionals, Ernesto Rodarte, Alex Saldana and Mikayla Hartline earned their spot at their respective weights, and were hoping to make it on the podium as a top-8 placer at state. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as all three wrestlers went 0-2 to end their dream prematurely.
Rodarte, competing at 113 pounds, started his tournament by competing against Joseph Klopf of Freeland, and would succumb by fall in 1:40 to drop into the consolation bracket. In the first round of the consolation bracket, his opponent would be Tanner Land of Imlay City, and he was pinned in 4:35, ending his tournament. The senior finished the season with a record of 42-7.
Saldana, competing at 126 pounds, started his tournament against Gavyn Merchant of Kingsley, and he would suffer defeat by fall in 1:41 to drop into the consolation bracket. In the first round of the consolation bracket, his opponent would be Jon Huggler of Otis Lake, and he was defeated by major decision, 9-1, ending his tournament. The junior finished the season with a record of 43-11.
Hartline, competing at 170 pounds, started her tournament by competing against Makayla Gowell of Manton, and would take the loss by fall in 1:22 to drop into the consolation bracket. In the first round of the consolation bracket, her opponent would be Paige Heise of Owosso, and she was pinned in 3:13 ending her tournament. The sophomore finished the season with a record of 11-31, but became the first female in Hartford history to make it to the state finals.
The Hartford Press Box congratulates Ernesto, Alex, Mikayla and the entire wrestling team and coaching staff on a great season on the mat! While we can’t wait to see what the future holds, we also would like to wish all the seniors good luck with all their future endeavors.
Boys basketball enters postseason action with 1-2 weekly record
The Hartford Husky boys varsity basketball team returned to the court for their final week of multi-game regular season action, as the men played in three contests over the course of just four days on the calendar. The team came into play with a record of 8-10 on the season, but is on a losing skid of recent, dropping five straight games and not having won since a road victory at Marcellus, on Feb. 7.
In their first game of the week, a home conference contest against the Cardinals of Bloomingdale (which was supposed to be a road game, but moved to Hartford due to girls districts) on Monday, Feb. 27, the Huskies finally got out of their recent funk. They built a significant double-digit halftime lead and never looked back, taking home the victory, 64-43.
Hartford was in command for the entirety of the game, as they held a scoring advantage in three of the four quarters. The Huskies led after the opening eight minutes, 17-8, before ripping off a 21-11 scoring edge in the second quarter, to take a 38-19 lead at the half. Hartford continued to build on their advantage in the third quarter, using a 15-7 scoring advantage to build a 53-26 lead with eight minutes left. Bloomingdale trimmed the final margin of victory with a moral win in the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Huskies 17-11.
Ten players scored for the Huskies, including one that finished the night in double figures. Zach Truelove led all Hartford scorers with 17 points, while Austin Reyna and Caiden Smith each chipped in eight points in the win. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Brody Johnson (7 points), Julien Rodarte (7 points), Dylan Kuehnle (6 points), Emmanuel Yerenas (4 points), Collin Williamson (3 points), Taylor Baham (2 points) and Bryan Torres (2 points).
In their second game of the week, a road conference contest at Lawrence against the Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Huskies began the game on the right note in the first quarter, holding a one-point advantage at the conclusion of the stanza. But the rest of the night saw Lawrence take firm control of the game and gradually extend their lead, handing Hartford a tough loss, 56-44.
The host Tigers took a three-point advantage in a high-scoring second quarter, 19-16, to take a two-point lead into the locker room, 28-26. Lawrence would go on to take control of the game in the third quarter, using a 16-8 scoring advantage in the frame to build a 44-34 lead with eight minutes left. Hartford managed to cut the lead into single digits in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers hit their shots and free throws late to take the final stanza, 12-10, bringing them to the final winning margin.
Five players scored for the Huskies, including two that finished the night in double figures. Austin Reyna led all Hartford scorers with 13 points, while Brody Johnson chipped in 12 points in the loss. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Julien Rodarte (8 points), Zach Truelove (6 points) and Dylan Kuehnle (5 points).
In their third game of the week, a road conference crossover contest at Mendon against the Hornets on Thursday, March 2, the Huskies went up against a team that they defeated earlier in the regular season in a tight game, 51-45, back on Jan. 17. This time however, Mendon exacted their revenge. They led from pretty much start-to-finish, handing Hartford the loss, 55-46.
The host Hornets jumped out to a 17-13 lead after the opening eight minutes of action, before extending their lead at the half, 36-26, thanks to a 19-13 scoring run in the second quarter. Mendon continued to pour it on in the third quarter, building their lead to eighteen points, 50-32, thanks to a 14-6 scoring run in the frame. The Hornets lead got as high as twenty-two in the final stanza, before the Huskies got hot from the three-point line with Hartford outscoring Mendon, 14-5, in the fourth quarter, but the game was firmly out of reach by that time.
Five players scored for the Huskies, including three that finished the night in double figures. Zach Truelove led all Hartford scorers with 15 points, while Brody Johnson chipped in 13 points and Austin Reyna added 10 points in the loss. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Caiden Smith (6 points) and Dylan Kuehnle (2 points).
Hartford is currently 9-12 on the season and finished 7-7 in Southwest 10 Conference games. The Huskies will enter postseason play in the week ahead, competing in a district that they will host on their home floor, which also includes Bangor, Bloomingdale, Decatur, Gobles and Lawton. Hartford drew Gobles for a first-round game on Monday, March 6. Winning that game, they take on Decatur in a semifinal game, on Wednesday, March 8, with the District 78 final taking place on Friday, March 10.
Girls basketball downed by Gobles in District play to close season
Last week, the Hartford Lady Husky basketball team returned to the court for postseason action, as the team competed in district play hosted by Bloomingdale High School. The team finished the regular season with a record of 8-14, but the ladies had made admirable strides throughout the course of the season, despite what their record said. The motto this time of year is ‘win or go home’ and this team was not ready to end the season without their best effort.
In the district semifinal contest against the Lady Tigers of Gobles on Wednesday, March 1, the Lady Huskies went up against a solid Gobles team that has a recent history of success on the court, but whom they defeated in the regular season a year ago in their most recent meeting. One bad quarter was the story, as Gobles defeated Hartford, 52-36, ending the season for the ladies.
The Lady Tigers, the designated visiting team, got out to a 12-8 lead after the opening eight minutes, but the second quarter was the difference in this game. Gobles outscored the Lady Huskies, 18-4, in the stanza, to build a 30-12 lead heading into the locker room. The second half was much more competitive from a box score standpoint, as Gobles won the battle on the scoreboard in the third quarter, 14-13, before Hartford finished the game on a high note, with an 11-8 scoring edge in the fourth quarter.
Five players scored for the Lady Huskies, including two that finished the night in double figures. Rylee Ackerman led all Hartford scorers with 12 points, while Rylee Deckard chipped in 11 points in the loss. Other players finishing in the scoring column included Ava Bachman (6 points), Sianelli Rodriguez (5 points) and Brooke Birmele (2 points).
Hartford finished the season with a record of 8-15. While their record may show more losses than wins, the team showed growth among the younger players in their lineup; however, they will also miss a tremendous group of senior leaders that will graduate this spring.
As always, GO GREEN! GO WHITE!