Hartford Press Box
Boys Soccer runs record to 18-0-1, earns top seed in district play
The state-ranked Hartford Husky boys soccer team (#3 in Division 3) continued their drive towards accomplishing their goals, as they competed in a lone conference match during one of their quieter weeks on the pitch. This team just keeps on meeting their lofty expectations, as they came into the week with a 17-0-1 record on the season and won the Southwest 10 Conference trophy. All this group does is just show up and take care of business.
In their lone match of the week, which saw the team travel to Cassopolis to take on the Rangers in conference action, on Monday, Oct. 2, the team was looking to keep their unblemished record intact against a team that they defeated, 8-nil in a one-half match back on Sept. 13. Unlike the previous meeting, this match would last the entire eighty minutes, as the Huskies were able to play a quality match, utilizing an assortment of playing time for both their starting eleven players and the reserves, while Cassopolis also played a better match than in the previous meeting.
In terms of the match itself, Hartford jumped out to a 4-nil lead at the half and scored an additional pair of goals in the second half, to come away with a dominating victory, 6-nil. The shutout by the Huskies was their seventh of the season, with all seven occurring in their last ten matches.
The six goals in the match were scored by five different players: Caiden Smith (2), Sebastian Gonzalez, Dylan Kuehnle, Aiden McDonald and Michael Mendoza.
Hartford is currently 18-0-1 on the season and finished 8-0-0 in Southwest 10 Conference play. Their lone victory last week was enough to allow the team to remain #3 in the latest Division 3 poll released by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association (MIHSSCA), on Monday, Oct. 9. During the upcoming week, the team will have participated in their final match of the regular season, when they traveled to Otsego on Monday, Oct. 9, for a non-conference affair with the Bulldogs. Attention will then turn to district play, which is being hosted by Three Rivers, and will start for the Huskies on Monday, Oct. 16.
Cross-Country posts solid results during two meet week
Last week, the Hartford Husky / Lady Husky cross-country teams returned to the local trails in competitive action, as they participated in their final conference jamboree of the campaign, along with a large weekend invitational. So far this season, the teams have run solid times during all their meets to date, which has given both groups solid finishes in conference jamborees and invitational events. However, with the season winding down, it’s about time to start peaking.
In the final Southwest 10 Conference jamboree of the year, that was hosted by Bangor on Wednesday, Oct. 4, both teams finished in the top-five of the overall standings in competitive team races. The Hartford men finished in 3rd place out of five teams, with a total of 79 team points, while the Hartford ladies finished in a tie-for-3rd place out of four teams, with a total of 73 team points.
In the men’s race, the top-five finishers for the Huskies included Carlos Ruiz (5th place, 19:07), Josais Robles (11th place, 19:18), Robert Lenza (21st place, 20:11), Jairo Lopez (22nd place, 20:12) and Jesus Hernandez (31st place, 21:31).
In the ladies race, the top-five finishers for the Lady Huskies included Lillian Wolf (4th place, 23:58), Katlina Wadlington (15th place, 25:57), Marianna Hopper (21st place, 27:30), Laura Barcenas (22nd place, 27:43) and Anya Watkins (25th place, 28:56).
In their weekend event, the Portage Invitational, which was held on Saturday, Oct. 7, the two teams ran in the largest field they’ve competed against this season. The fields included a total of 387 runners (in the men’s race) and 343 runners (in the women’s race). In terms of the final team standings, the Hartford men finished in 31st place out of 35 teams, with a total of 811 team points, while the Hartford ladies finished in 30th place out of 31 teams, with a total of 865 team points.
In the men’s race, the top-five finishers for the Huskies included Carlos Ruiz (148th place, 18:54), Josais Robles (158th place, 19:08 – a season-best PR), Jairo Lopez (200th place, 19:41), Robert Lenza (231st place, 20:08) and Jaylin Bachman (284th place, 21:11 – a season-best PR). Also setting their personal best times of the season were Gabe Shulaw (22:00) and Weston Pitcher (24:11).
In the ladies race, the top-five finishers for the Lady Huskies included Lillian Wolf (132nd place, 23:04), Katlina Wadlington (191st place, 24:38 – a season-best PR), Marianna Hopper (250th place, 26:06), Leah Fish (264th place, 26:45 – a season-best PR) and Laura Barcenas (292nd place, 27:38). Also setting their personal best times of the season were Juliana Morseau (27:49), Ava Bachman (28:21) and Dakota Chavis (29:35).
The Hartford cross-country teams will return to the local trails just one time this week, when they travel to Bloomingdale on Saturday, Oct. 14, for the Bloomingdale Invitational.
Hartford volleyball team suffers two defeats in late conference matches
The Hartford Lady Husky varsity volleyball team competed in a pair of weekday conference matches over the course of the last seven-day period. While we have not had the opportunity to report on the status of the team for most of the season (due to results not being reported to our publication in time), we can honestly say that the team continues to show major improvement, despite the results not going their way.
In their first weekly test, the team participated in a Southwest 10 Conference match on their home floor, when they played the visiting Lady Chiefs of White Pigeon on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Against one of the teams in the league with the longest distance of travel, the ladies played a tough match, with none of the sets being decided by more than ten points. However, the result of the affair did not go the way of the ladies wearing the green and white uniforms, as they were swept in straight sets: 25-19, 25-15, 25-15.
In their second weekly test, the team participated in another Southwest 10 Conference match when they traveled to Cassopolis to take on the Lady Rangers, on Thursday, Oct. 5. These two teams have had some competitive matchups in the past, so there was no reason to believe that this showdown would be any different. This match saw two competitive sets, and one set that was not so competitive. When the final ball hit the floor, the ladies wearing the green and white uniforms were swept once again in straight sets: 25-18, 25-21, 25-13.
The schedule for the Lady Huskies in the week ahead will have featured their second-to-last conference match, during the waning moments of the regular season campaign. Before this issue is on the newsstands, the team will have hosted the Lady Bulldogs of Centreville on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Junior Varsity Football defeats Coloma to get back in win column
Last week, the Hartford Husky junior varsity football team had their seventh showing on the football field this season, as they made another road trip, their sixth appearance in seven weeks, with the ‘yellow brick’ road leading to Coloma for a game against the Comets. Despite dropping their first game of the season last week at Centreville, it’s been a good season for the young Huskies, who are off to a 5-1 start. The team is still working hard, as they have room to improve.
In the game against the Comets, which was played on Thursday, Oct. 5, the Huskies and Coloma were playing at the junior varsity level for the second consecutive season; last August, the Comets were victorious in the ‘Tri-City Showdown’, 64-28. This time around, the tide turned in the opposite direction, as Hartford came out with a chip on their shoulder, in their attempt to get back into the win column, while avenging last year’s loss. The result of this contest was a dominant Husky victory, 36-8, earning this youthfully exuberant squad their sixth victory of the campaign.
The first quarter saw Hartford lead after the opening stanza, 8-0. After the opening drive for the Comets stalled, the Huskies drove down the field and scored with 7:37 remaining on the clock, when Jeffrey Littlefield took the ball into the end zone from six yards out for the rushing touchdown. Littlefield added an additional two points to the scoreboard, when he rushed into the end zone for the point-after conversion.
The second quarter saw Hartford extend their lead by an additional eight points, to take a 16-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Much of the stanza featured solid defensive efforts by both teams, but the Huskies were finally able to break through in the waning minutes of the first half. After driving the field, Hartford scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Brian Sewell, to make the score 14-0 with 1:15 remaining. On the point-after attempt, Mason Mireles rushed the ball into the end zone for the two-point conversion, bringing them to their halftime margin.
After the teams returned to the field for the second half, both squads were able to manage scoring drives in the third quarter; the result of the stanza was an 8-8 draw on the scoreboard. The first scoring drive of the frame came from the Huskies, as they drove down the field on their opening possession and found pay dirt on a six-yard touchdown run by Jeffrey Littlefield. Hartford attempted the two-point conversion, and were successful on a run by Brian Sewell, making the score 24-0 with 9:12 left in the third quarter.
The Comets managed to counter with their lone scoring drive of the night later in the stanza, when a blown defensive coverage in the secondary left a Comet receiver wide open on the near sideline. The result of that play was a 24-yard touchdown pass, which would cut the Huskies lead to 24-6; the gap was shrunk by an additional two points, to 24-8, with 3:39 remaining in the third quarter, after Coloma converted the two-point conversion.
The fourth quarter was dominated by Hartford, as they used two touchdown scoring drives, and a 12-0 scoreboard advantage, to put the game out of reach. The first touchdown of the final twelve-minute stretch came less than a minute into the final stanza, as Jeffrey Littlefield scored his third touchdown of the game on a two-yard run. For the first time all night, the two-point conversion failed, but the Huskies were in the lead, 30-8, with 11:11 remaining in the contest.
The final scoring drive of the night concluded with 6:11 remaining in the game, when Shane Phillips, who normally plays along the offensive and defensive lines, got his chance to shine in the backfield. He bulldozed his way into the end zone for the touchdown, on a one-yard run. The Huskies once again tried for the two-point conversion, but the attempt failed, leading to the final margin of victory in this game.
In terms of statistics, on offense, Hartford finished with 304 total yards, which included 245 rushing yards and 59 passing yards. Mason Mireles and Jeffrey Littlefield combined to go 5-for-10 passing, with the leading receivers being Alex Morsaw (three catches for 49 yards) and Ryder Birkhead (one catch for 11 yards). Brian Sewell led the rushing attack for the Huskies, running for 98 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while Littlefield rushed for 51 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries and Linken Birkhead rushed the ball for 48 yards on six carries.
On defense, the Huskies were led by Brady Rice, who made seven tackles, including a sack and a tackle-for-a-loss. Birkhead (one tackle-for-a-loss), Isaiah Lovell and Shane Phillips (sack, four tackles-for-a-loss) each recorded six tackles. Other defensive statistical standouts included fumble recoveries by Birkhead and DJ Wadlington, two interceptions by Mireles and an interception by Morsaw.
Hartford is currently 6-1 on the season. The Huskies will finally get an opportunity to play on their home field, for the first time since Sept. 7, when they host the Centreville Bulldogs for their third showdown of the year on Thursday, Oct. 12; the two teams have split the previous two meetings. This will also be ‘Homecoming’ at Hartford High School, as well as ‘Senior Night’ for band, cheerleading and football (the seniors who would’ve played this season will be honored).
As always, GO GREEN! GO WHITE!
Comments