LocalSportsJournal.com
REMUS — Hart’s wrestling team earned its fourth straight Division 3 regional championship Wednesday night with a convincing 54-13 victory over Clare in the finals at Chippewa Hills.
Clare defeated Beaverton, 40-33, in the other semifinal.
The Pirates had a tough challenge in the semifinals when they faced the host team, Chippewa Hills. The Pirates pulled out a close 39-23 decision to earn the right to wrestle for the title, and a berth in the MHSAA quarterfinals next Friday in Kalamazoo. The Pirates will take on Gladstone at 4:30 p.m. On the other side of the bracket is Whitehall and Portland.
“We were fired up coming into the duals,” said Hart coach Elijah Flores. “We knew Chippewa Hills would be a tough matchup for us right out of the gate, and they definitely were.
“Thankfully, we were able to take some close matches and come out on top,” Flores said. “I thought the boys showed great effort and heart tonight and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. We had some guys really step up for us tonight, especially freshman Halen Boos and sophomore Alex Hicks.”
Photo courtesy of LSJ photographer Joe Washington
Hart (31-5) established its dominance over the Clare Pioneers early and was never challenged.
Ivan Lara, Ayden Dodge, Emmanuel Ortega, Halen Boos, Austin Martinez, Bryce Jorrissen, Josue Salgado-Velazquez, Guillermo Ortega, Alex Hicks and Zane Thomas picked up wins in the championship match against the Pioneers.
Emmanuel Ortega didn’t waste any time in his match, recording a pin in just 36 seconds in the first period, Thomas pinned his man in 37 seconds while Martinez won his match by pin in 1:19 of the first period.
Photo courtesy of LSJ photographer Joe Washington
The Pirate winners in the semifinals against the Warriors included Adrian Tice, Lara, Trayce Tate, Clarice Mosley, Salgado Velazquez, Boos, Martinez and Hicks.
Hart had four pins against the Warriors.
Boos went into the third period of his match before putting his opponent’s shoulders to the mat in 4:02.
Lara also won his match via pin, getting his in the second period at 2:43.
Martinez needed to take the mat for the second period before finishing off his man.
Tate recorded his pin in 1:14 of the first period.
“There was definitely some pressure on us … at least, it was on ourselves … and three years in a row, we didn’t want to end that streak, obviously,” said Flores.
“We had a good showing, so it was really nice for us. For me, especially, being a first-year head coach it was nice to continue that streak for the boys. We had some underclassmen step up and really performed.
“We knew that if we showed up and did what we had to do, it was something that was realistically attainable for us. The coaching staff … we had our plan written down as well you can.
“But, those plans are so good until the match starts, and then they kind of shift. We did our best to plan and get everything worked out, and the boys did the rest. They did all the hard stuff.
“I don’t believe we’ve won a quartterfinal, so we’re going to go in there and try to make a difference. Hopefully, we’ll be competitive down there and do our best. We’ll see what happens.”
The state quarterfinals are set for next Friday with the semifinals and state finals on Saturday at the Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.
Photo courtesy of LSJ photographer Joe Washington
