Top 5 toughest losses
Varsity Soccer vs. Caledonia
The Rangers were coming off of one of their best performances of the season, a 1-0 victory over Rockford in the district quarterfinals. The Rangers faced a very difficult opponent in the semis, traveling to take on the Caledonia Fighting Scots. Due to some costly errors early on, the Fighting Scots scored and led at the half 1-0. Senior Reese Walli along with junior Sammy Postlewait provided a much-needed spark to the Rangers on both ends. The Rangers were on the attack for seemingly the whole second half, but the Caledonia goalkeeper was able to come up big with some huge saves. As the clock ticked down, the Rangers were unable to net a goal and finished their season with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss.
Varsity Volleyball vs. Forest Hills Northern
The Rangers looked to start off their conference schedule on a high note when they took on the rival Huskies. Senior Katrina Bodkins and freshman Sophia Shields dominated in the first set to win it 25-18 for the Rangers. The Huskies fired back and dominated the second set, 25-10. Katrina once again came out on fire, and the Rangers took the third set 25-16, needing to win just one more set to win the match. The Huskies, with their backs against the wall, came out on fire in the fourth set and were able to force a winner take all fifth set with a 25-13 victory. In that fifth set, the Huskies continued their roll and won 15-5, taking the match 3-2.
Sophomore Julia Bouma reflects on the loss. “It was devastating to lose that match because we really did not want to start conference play like that.”
Varsity Football vs. West Ottawa
The Rangers came into this one ranked #1 in the area while the Panthers checked in at #2. The game more than lived up to its hype. Senior Tate Hallock returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and both teams were off and running. The Rangers jumped out to a 14-3 lead, only for the Panthers to storm back and take a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Senior Jay Shields was able to lead the Ranger defense to make some critical fourth-quarter stops. After a senior Luke Majick’s touchdown run cut the deficit to 7, Tate then took a jet sweep 80 yards for a touchdown to tie the game up at 28. The game then went to overtime and was tied at 35 after the first overtime period. After Luke ran for another touchdown, the Rangers trailed 42-41. Head coach Tim Rogers decided to go for the win by faking the extra point, but the Rangers were unable to convert, falling 42-41. Senior Cam Deines said it was a huge teaching point for the team
“After that tough loss, everyone just made sure to keep their heads up,” Cam said. “We had to realize that we played really hard and sometimes the ball just isn’t going to bounce your way.”
Field Hockey vs. Saline
The Forest Hills field hockey season ended the season with an impressive 8-7-2 record. Their final game was a quarterfinals loss to number one seed Saline. The game was a battle but ended up with the Hornets trumping the Rangers 4-0. Seniors Madisyn Bunke and Madison Bruno were two key players of the match, destroying the opposing defense, and creating multiple opportunities to capitalize on. Throughout the game, the FH defense struggled to keep up with the strong Saline Hornets, who held their composure the whole time in a very important match.
Nick Sjolin vs Berkley High in States
The Varsity tennis team has looked very dominant throughout the whole season led by junior Nick Sjolin who played one single. Nick was a phenomenal leader and key player for the team and ended up making the state finals. He played two incredibly talented singles players from Berkley High and lost both 7-5 and 6-2. Nick had a final season record of 14-21 against the top players in the state from each team.
“Being able to play one single is a huge honor. At states, my last match was very close and it lasted 2 and a half hours,” Nick said. “Many schools don’t get the chance to go to state finals—at FHC, we are very fortunate to have skilled enough players to play in the championship.”