Harrison Central earns redemption, captures district title with win over Ridgewood

The postseason may be more appropriately dubbed the “Redemption Tour” for the 2026 Harrison Central Huskies.

Over the past two weeks, the Huskies have toppled both teams responsible for bouncing them from the bracket the last two seasons. First came a 9-5 victory over the West Muskingum Tornadoes in the district semifinals May 26. Notably, West Muskingum sent the Huskies packing in the first round of the 2024 tournament, an unexpected result that stunned a Harrison squad coming off a state championship appearance the year prior.

While the semifinal triumph was celebrated in the Huskies clubhouse, what followed the victory over the Tornadoes was the big one. The one that has been circled for 365 days.

The final score of last year’s district championship game against Ridgewood — a 3-1 setback — has been posted in the Harrison Central locker room since May 2025. To put it bluntly, the Huskies have felt the sting of last season’s district runner-up finish for a very long time.

However, as of last Thursday night, that sting has surely subsided.

Thanks to a complete-game gem from Colten Rutter on the mound and a sixth-inning explosion from the Huskies offense, a 5-2 victory landed Harrison Central in the Division V Sweet 16 as East District 2 champions.

One thing is for sure when the Generals and the Huskies are on the diamond: They have places to be. In the case of this budding postseason rivalry, it generally means one of them is headed to the regional tournament.

In 2026, that honor belongs to coach Mike Valesko and his Huskies.

“We have so much respect for Ridgewood and what Coach Lahna does with that program. They have certainly been responsible for a great deal of heartbreak for us. It seems we always find each other in the postseason, and I’m so happy for the kids that we came out on top for the district title this year. I’m beyond proud of our kids, and the way they have grown to this point in the season,” Valesko said.

The skipper certainly isn’t wrong.

The two teams have linked up in the postseason six times in the past 10 years. Fittingly enough, the ledger now stands at 3-3 over that span. In five of those six meetings, the winner went on to appear in the regional round.

When talking about places to be, the Sweet 16 sounds like a rather alluring destination.

For the Huskies, they won’t have to go far.

Mazeroski Field was selected as a regional host site in the preseason for Divisions IV and V. The victory over Ridgewood paired the Huskies with another local team, the No. 1-seeded Barnesville Shamrocks, June 2. The winner is set to meet the winner of Minford and Lucasville Valley June 4 in Marietta.

Against the No. 3-seeded Generals, the first five innings were quiet. So quiet that the scoreboard read 0-0 when the No. 2-seeded Huskies came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning.

With just two innings remaining, the Huskies (18-10-1) finally had enough of the gridlock, posting a five-spot in the frame to seize control of the game.

A Hunter Snyder double, followed by a Colson Crothers single, got things started. Lahna then elected to intentionally walk hard-hitting lefty Gage Stoneking, a decision the Ridgewood coach may look back on with some reluctance.

With the bases loaded, Lance Smith emerged as the game-breaker.

Smith sent a laser to right-center field that cleared the bases and put the Huskies in front 3-0. The Harrison dugout was a chaotic scene of excitement, but the celebration wasn’t over.

Sophomore Kolton Mizer stepped into the batter’s box next and belted a line-drive single to center field that plated Smith. Then came the small ball, as Rutter bunted Mizer, who had advanced to second on the previous throw home, to third.

For good measure, Cash Meadows ensured the Generals center fielder stayed busy, lifting a sacrifice fly to center that scored Mizer.

When the dust settled, the Huskies had scored five runs in a flash.

Rutter struck out six Generals while allowing just four hits and the two earned runs that crossed in the top of the seventh inning. Any time Ridgewood mounted a threat, Rutter slammed the door shut. It was a masterful performance in game management from the decorated senior.

Stoneking earned the pitching victory against West Muskingum. The junior worked 5 2/3 innings before the Tornadoes bats caught up to his signature high heat.

In an effort to preserve pitching for the district final, Valesko called upon an arm that had not thrown an inning all season.

Sophomore Kolton Mizer, who routinely spends his time behind the plate as one of the top catchers in his class, toed the rubber for the final 1 1/3 innings. Mizer threw 31 pitches and finished the job to advance the Huskies into the next round.

Valesko took a chance, saved the ace and it paid off in a big way.

The Huskies have now won four district titles in program history: 2013, 2016, 2023 and 2026.