The boys swim and dive team looks to rely on the seniors to have a successful season. The Rangers lost a lot of talent in the graduating seniors last year, including four all-state swimmers, and they have won the Conference Meet for four years in a row. To continue this success, the new senior class and the rest of the team will need to put their best efforts forward.

“We need to be as competitive as we can be,” head coach Dennis Neat said. “We need to practice hard, improve our skills, and see how far we can push ourselves.”

Some swimmers that are going to help the team defend their title as Conference Champions are senior co-captains Will Clancy, Henry Schutte, Max VanDoorne, and Adam Sands. Some other seniors that are going to contribute to the team heavily are Kaz Iwatsu, Ryan Talbot, and Zach Stevenson. Together they are going to create a better team atmosphere to help bring the team together.

“This year we would like to have a better team atmosphere; with 27 new freshmen we are going to work on creating a competitive atmosphere of winning while also having a lot of fun,” Will said. “We know it is going to be a bit of a rebuilding year after losing some key scorers, so we are hoping to create a hardworking culture.”

Along with the seniors, the returning juniors and sophomores need to step up as leaders and help guide the incoming freshman. Sophomore Avery LeTourneau is looking forward to working as hard as he can to help put the team to the level they were at last year.

“We have to step up because [sophomores and juniors] know what to expect,” Avery said. “We are going to have to fill the places [that the seniors last year left].”

Avery played a key role last year in helping the Rangers win the Conference title. He placed fifth in the 200-Yard Freestyle, which helped to contribute to FHC’s 429 points. Along with Avery, junior CJ Heir is expected to be a key swimmer for the Rangers. In the Conference Meet, CJ scored 32 points for the team. He placed second in the 200-Yard IM in the finals, and he also placed fourth in the 100-Yard Butterfly.

FHC’s hardest competition this year is a toss-up between East Grand Rapids and Spring Lake. EGR has always been their biggest competition, and last year the Rangers only beat the Pioneers by 2 points. Spring Lake, which is a young and improving team, will be the Rangers’ last opponent of the year before the Conference Meet, and they should be a tough challenge for FHC.

The Rangers are looking forward to a successful season with some strong leadership from the upperclassmen. Their first meet is on Saturday at the Cereal Bowl Relays, and they are expected to do well against the other teams.

“Last season I learned that even if you aren’t seeing the results at every meet, you have to continue to jump in that pool every day and put in the hard work,” Will said, “because in time you will see the results you are looking for, it just may take a little longer than expected. We’re going to keep this in mind while we swim throughout the season.”