Hartford Press Box
Hartford Boys Soccer runs record to 17-0-1, takes home conference crown!
Last week, the state-ranked Hartford Husky varsity boys soccer team (#5 in Division 3) continued their drive towards accomplishing their goals, as they competed in a pair of conference matches during a busy late stretch on the soccer pitch. The team just continues to exceed everyone’s expectations, having sprinted out to a 15-0-1 start to the season and putting them at the top of the conference standings. All they do is just take care of business and score goals in bunches.
In their first match of the week, which saw the team host the Vikings of Bangor in conference action on Monday, Sept. 25, the team was looking to keep their recent unbeaten streak going, in a rivalry match against their closest competition in the league. The two teams met back on Sept. 6, a match which Hartford won in a tight battle, 4-2. This match was quite competitive throughout, as most rivalries should be. Hartford scored goals in the 7th minute and 40th minute (with just 15 seconds remaining in the half) to take a 2-nil halftime lead.
If that sounds like a broken record, the first meeting between the two teams had a 2-nil lead for the Huskies at the half. In that match, Bangor rallied to tie the affair at 2, before Hartford scored a pair of goals late. This time, however, the only scoring done in the second half was by the home team, as the Huskies struck for a pair of goals in the span of eight minutes to open the gap to the final margin of victory, 4-nil. With the victory, Hartford brought home another conference championship trophy to add to an ever-expanding trophy case.
The four goals in this match were scored by four different players: Sebastian Gonzalez, Jairo Lorenzo-Reyes, Anthony Mejia and Melvin Parra.
In their second match of the week, which saw the team host the Cardinals of Bloomingdale on Wednesday, Sept. 27, the men were competing in a rematch of an affair that played out just two weeks prior, on Sept. 11, when Hartford took down Bloomingdale on the road, 7-nil. Early on, it appeared that the Huskies would have their foot on the gas, as they scored a goal in the early minutes to take the lead and then added three more goals in the opening forty minutes to gradually extend their lead at halftime to 4-nil.
The great play by Hartford (by both the starters and the reserves) continued into the second half, as the Huskies added two more goals to extend the lead to 6-nil. Ultimately, the reserves were inserted into the lineup for the remainder of the match and the visiting Cardinals were able to score two goals in ‘garbage time’ to make the final score of the match, 6-2.
The six goals in this match were scored by five different players: Anthony Mejia (2), Sebastian Gonzalez, Kameron Kuehnle, Melvin Parra and Caiden Smith.
Hartford is currently 17-0-1 on the season and is 7-0-0 in Southwest 10 Conference play. Thanks to their two victories last week, the team moved up two spots in the state rankings, rising to #3 in the latest Division 3 poll released by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association (MIHSSCA). During the upcoming week, the team will have participated in just one match, which will conclude conference action for the 2023 season. By the time this week’s paper is published, the team will have traveled to Cassopolis for a road match against the Rangers, on Monday, Oct. 2.
Cross-Country teams finish conference jamborees in Top 5
The Hartford Husky / Lady Husky high school cross-country teams participated last week in their second conference jamboree of the campaign. Over the course of the season to date, the teams have run solid times during the first six meets of the year, which has put them in a great position to be near the top of the standings in the league. The goals for the team are the same; you must start peaking soon, as the season is winding down.
In the second Southwest 10 Conference jamboree of the year, which was hosted by Centreville on Wednesday, Sept. 27 (the meet was originally set to be run at White Pigeon, but was moved due to course conditions), both teams finished in the top five of the overall standings in a tightly competitive team race. The Hartford men finished in 3rd place out of five teams, with a total of 66 team points, while the Hartford ladies finished in 3rd place out of four teams, with a total of 64 team points.
In the men’s race, the top-five finishers for the Huskies included Carlos Ruiz (5th place, 18:56), Josais Robles (10th place, 19:37), Robert Lenza (13th place, 19:51), Jairo Lopez (18th place, 20:02) and Jesus Hernandez (31st place, 21:33).
In the ladies race, the top-five finishers for the Lady Huskies included Lillian Wolf (4th place, 23:39), Katlina Wadlington (12th place, 25:12), Marianna Hopper (16th place, 26:41), Leah Fish (20th place, 27:42) and Laura Barcenas (21st place, 27:44).
The teams will return to the local trails twice this week, with one meet finishing up the conference season, while the other meet will feature some of the best teams in the state. The teams will have competed in their third Southwest 10 Conference jamboree, at Bangor on Wednesday, Oct. 4, before finishing the week by participating in the Portage Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Volleyball plays hard and tough, but suffers two losses
Last week, the Hartford Lady Husky varsity volleyball team participated in a pair of weekday matches, one conference and one non-conference, over the course of seven days.
In their first weekly showdown, the team participated in a Southwest 10 Conference match on their home floor, against the visiting Lady Raiders of Decatur on Tuesday, Sept. 26. Against one of their rivals, the team played a quality match with two of the three sets being rather competitive. However, the result of the affair did not go the way of the ladies wearing green and white, as they were swept in straight sets: 25-22, 25-13, 25-17.
In their second weekly showdown, the team participated in a non-conference match at home against the Lady Comets of Coloma on Thursday, Sept. 28. The matchup between two of the three teams in our Tri-City area was rather uneventful throughout, as two of the three sets played on this evening were won by double figures. The result of the match did not go the way of the ladies wearing green and white, as they were swept in straight sets once again: 25-10, 25-8, 25-19.
The schedule for the Lady Huskies in the week ahead features a pair of conference matches during the waning moments of the regular season campaign. The team began the week with a home match against the Lady Chiefs of White Pigeon on Tuesday, Oct. 3, before finishing with a road trip to Cassopolis for a match against the Lady Rangers on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Hartford JV Football suffers tough first defeat at Centreville
The Hartford Husky junior varsity football team had their sixth showing on the football field this season, as they made yet another road trip, their fifth in six weeks, with the magical road leading to Centreville for a game against the Bulldogs. It’s been a great season thus far for the young Huskies, as they are currently off to a 5-0 start, which includes four victories by more than one possession. The team still has work to do, but it’s a positive to see all the success.
In their game, which was played on Thursday, Sept. 28, the Huskies and the Bulldogs were playing for the second time this season; the first meeting occurred back on Sept. 7, a game that Hartford won on their home turf, 16-8. This time around however, Centreville was able to turn the tables. The Bulldogs took advantage of an off night by Hartford, jumping out to a three-score lead that went late into the game. The Huskies managed to score, but dropped their first game of the season, 20-6.
The first quarter was a scoreless affair, before the home team struck on a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to open the scoring. The two-point conversion try failed, making it a 6-0 game for the Bulldogs. The 6-0 score would hold up as the margin on the scoreboard when the two teams left the field for halftime.
The second half didn’t start much better for the Huskies, as they gave up a second touchdown to Centreville in the third quarter. The Bulldogs also converted the two-point conversion, which expanded the margin to 14-0 after three stanzas. Centreville added a scoring drive in the fourth quarter, on a rushing touchdown, to make the score 20-0 (after a failed two-point conversion attempt) with just mere minutes remaining in the contest.
The Huskies, who have not been shut out in a game since September 2022, finally managed to get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, as Brian Sewell crossed into the end zone after an 11-yard touchdown run.
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