Hartford Press Box

Hartford Boys Soccer bows out of postseason with Regional Semifinal loss

Last week, the state-ranked Hartford Husky boys soccer team participated in regional action, competing in the regional that was being hosted by Fennville High School. It’s still hard to find ways to talk about their season thus far, as they keep meeting the lofty expectations set by so many, rolling into action with a record of 21-0-1. However, the regionals keep tripping them up – could they get over the hump?

PERFECTLY PAIRED… When they say that “teamwork makes the dream work,” it must mean in practices and races! Hartford's Katlina Wadlington and Lillian Wolf ran side-by-side during the second mile of the MHSAA Division 3 regional competition held last weekend. When they crossed the finish line, Wolf finished in 28th place, with a time of 22:53, while Wadlington's personal best time of 23:14 earned her a 32nd place finish. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

DISAPPOINTMENT… Hartford's Kameron Kuehnle attempts to move the ball up field past a Hudsonville Unity Christian defender, during the regional semifinal contested last week at Fennville High School. Unfortunately, for the first time this fall, the Huskies were held scoreless and fell to the #2 Crusaders, 2-nil, ending the season with a 21-1-1 record. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

In their regional semifinal matchup, which saw the team take on the Crusaders of Hudsonville Unity Christian on Tuesday, Oct. 24, the men were looking to keep their season going, in a showdown against the number two team in the state, who came in with a not-too-shabby record of 17-2-1 on the year. The fans that packed the stadium for both teams were looking forward to an exciting match, and by fans, we mean plenty of fans! The benches were on the home side, and the home bleachers were packed to the rim.

As for the match itself, the Huskies have accomplished so much in their existence, but winning a regional championship has been the one thing that has eluded them. This season would, unfortunately, be no different. Hudsonville Unity Christian was able to find the net twice in the opening forty minutes, to take a 2-nil lead at the half. Hartford played a much better second half, earning themselves a couple of solid scoring opportunities, but could not find the net against the stingy Crusader defense. That would lead to a goalless second half, and a 2-nil loss for the Huskies, ending their season several matches too early. Maybe the regional round is just their kryptonite – at least for the time being.

Hartford finishes the season with a record of 21-1-1. This has been another successful year that brought with it another conference championship and a district trophy to add to the case. With that being said, a great group of senior student-athletes will be graduating in the spring, having helped build the program to the juggernaut it is today. They will certainly be missed! Congratulations to Coach Wright, the coaching staff and the players on their accomplishments this season!

Cross-Country teams end season with solid Regional performance

The Hartford Husky / Lady Husky varsity cross-country teams participated in their biggest meet of the season to date, the regional competition. So far this season the teams have been quite competitive during all their meets, which has boosted the runner’s confidence throughout the year. However, regionals are a different animal in itself – it has the area’s best competition.

In the Division 3 regional meet, which took place at Portage West Middle School on Saturday, Oct. 28, the squads lined up alongside some of the area’s best athletes, who were representing seventeen other schools. The competition was overwhelmingly tough, with everyone’s sights set on a potential appearance in the state finals on the line. In terms of team results, the Hartford men finished in 12th place out of sixteen teams, with a total of 280 team points, while the Hartford ladies finished in 9th place out of ten teams, with a total of 225 team points.

In the men’s race, the top-five finishers for the Huskies included Carlos Ruiz (39th place, 18:47), Josais Robles (43rd place, 18:50 – a PR), Jairo Lopez (51st place, 19:25), Robert Lenza (65th place, 19:54) and Jaylin Bachman (84th place, 21:06 – a PR). Also competing for Hartford was Jesus Hernandez (86th place, 21:07).

In the ladies race, the top-five finishers for the Lady Huskies included Lillian Wolf (28th place, 22:53), Katlina Wadlington (32nd place, 23:14 – a PR), Marianna Hopper (59th place, 26:06), Leah Fish (63rd place, 26:28 – a PR) and Anya Watkins (68th place, 26:57 – a PR). Also competing for Hartford were Juliana Morseau (74th place, 27:52) and Laura Barcenas (77th place, 28:18).

Because no runner made it to the state finals, the season is now complete for the Hartford cross-country programs. Both squads had successful seasons and will only graduate a total of four seniors (one male and three females) in the spring. Hopefully, the progress they have made during the season will translate to faster times and higher finishes next season. Congratulations to Coach Manning, Coach Paran and the runners on their accomplishments this season!

Volleyball finishes regular season with non-conference defeat

Last week, the Hartford Lady Husky varsity volleyball team returned to the court for one event date, when they competed in a non-conference match to finish the regular season slate for the 2023 season. While our newspaper has not had the opportunity to report on the volleyball team properly throughout the season, the matches we’ve seen suggest improvements are still ongoing, despite the final scores. Hopefully, the results will show up soon, with the postseason looming.

In their lone match of the week, the team participated in a non-conference showdown at home on Thursday, Oct. 26, against the visiting Lady Panthers of Delton Kellogg, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. These two teams were former conference members, before Hartford left the SAC for the Southwest 10 Conference prior to the 2017-18 school year. This match featured competitive play all night long, with no set being decided by more than just a few points. Despite their best effort, the ladies wearing the green and white uniforms were defeated in straight sets.

The schedule for the Lady Huskies this week features district action, as the team competed in the district being hosted by Coloma High School. The team received a first-round match, as they played conference foe, Bloomingdale, on Monday, Oct. 30. Should they have reigned victorious, they would have taken on Bangor in a district semifinal, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, with the winner moving on to the district final on Thursday, Nov. 2.

As always, GO GREEN! GO WHITE!