Hart basketball standout Blake Weirich wins very tight Player of the Week fan poll

Regardless who won the most recent CatchMark SportsNet West Michigan Conference Player of the Week fan poll, one thing is for certain.

Hart supports its athletes.

In a vote that came right down to the wire, Hart junior basketball standout Blake Weirich edged sophomore Nora Chickering of Hart’s competitive cheer team for top honors in the poll spanning athletic events Jan. 9-14, 2023.

In a vote that went back and forth down the stretch, Weirich finished with 1,813 votes to Chickering’s 1,810. See complete voting results for this week’s poll at the bottom of this story.

The weekly fan poll, which recognizes six West Michigan Conference winter sports athletes for their achievements from the week before, closed at noon today (Friday, Jan. 20).

For the third straight CatchMark SportsNet WMC Player of the Week poll, a Hart athlete has finished at the top. Last week, it was Hart girls basketball player Aspen Boutell. Prior to the holiday break, it was Hart siblings Parker and Addi Hovey sharing the accolade.

Weirich, who is listed as 6-foot-5 forward, was a big reason the Pirates posted a runaway victory over host Mason County Central last Thursday in a battle of unbeatens and WMC Rivers Division title contenders. He scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Hart’s 71-50 triumph.

Weirich and senior Parker Hovey form a tough 1-2 punch for the Pirates.