Hart rolls to sixth straight team district wrestling championship

Host Hart dominated a pair of West Michigan Conference Rivers Division opponents Wednesday night en route to capturing a sixth straight team wrestling district title.

Hart beat rival Shelby 65-9 in the semifinals before taking down Mason County Central 66-12 in the finals.

The Pirates, ranked eighth in Division 3, next travel to Sanford Meridian where they will take on Chippewa Hills in regional semifinal action. The winner of the Hart/Chippewa Hills match takes on the Sanford Meridian/Gladwin victor in the regional final.

Hart is also seeking a fifth straight regional championship.

“This group is young, but they have worked extremely hard. Each week, they continue to step up and wrestle tough,” Hart coach Rocky Smith said. “This team is special because no one cares what weight they wrestle. They are willing to bump up when needed or cut down if needed. The key to our success really has been the development of our underclassmen and their contributions in duals.

“We have Chip Hills (next), which will be a tough matchup, and we will have to win a couple of swing matches to earn the victory.”

Winning district finals matches for Hart against Mason County Central were Jose Chavira, Caden VanGelderen, Kole Thomas, Ty Thomas, Joseluis Andaverde, Chico Salgado, Haegan Hansen, Alex Hicks, Emmanuel Hertzler, Ivan Lara, and Adrian Lara.

Winning district semifinal matches for Hart against Shelby were Aiden Schaner, Kole Thomas, Logan Jorissen, Ty Thomas, Emmanuel Ortega, Joseluis Andaverde, Kai Miller, Chico Salgado, Haegan Hansen, Alex Hicks, Ivan Lara, and Adrian Lara.