Top 5 Dynamic Duos
Courtney McAlindon and Abby McAlindon
This tag-team duo of sisters was a key part of the Forest Hills Central girls varsity ski team’s season. Senior Courtney McAlindon and her sophomore sister Abby McAlindon have been competing on the team together for the past two years, and the team’s success is largely impacted by these two. Both Abby and Courtney have had numerous achievements throughout their high school career: they have both placed in the top twenty copious times at the State Championships, taken first at Regionals, and placed first in many other races throughout all their seasons. They continue to take their skiing extremely seriously outside of the season as well and have both competed in youth Olympic races.
“It is just so much fun to ski with her; she is so good, so it’s like a competition all the time,” Abby said. “She pushes me to get better, and we always are more successful when we are together.”
Alex Souza and Ben Kastner
Time and time again, juniors Alex Souza and Ben Kastner bowled in the top two for the Forest Hills Central boys bowling team throughout the season. Almost every meet these two were the leading bowlers for their team, and they were keys to the team’s victories in every match. Alex was able to place fifth at his Regional meet, and this allowed him to qualify for the State Championships, where he placed fifty-first. Ben sadly fell short by 50 pins short of States in the Regional competition, but his impact on the team was very prominent all season.
Claire Baguley and Theryn Hallock
This past season, senior Claire Baguely was accompanied by freshman Theryn Hallock to form a tag-team that was close to impossible to stop for the Forest Hills Central girls varsity basketball team. Both Claire and Theryn received all-conference honors this season, and their hard work and dedication showed in every game of the season. These girls both received their career-high in points scored; Claire got her all-time high of 32 points in the team’s game against Lowell, and Theryn had hers in the Ottawa Hills game with 22 points. Their teamwork and impeccable ball-movement were key in every game, and they continued to set each other up for success throughout the season.
“As the season has gone on, we have gotten better in knowing how each other play and how to set each other up for success,” Claire said. “We push each other to get better every day and guard one another in every practice to make it a game-like situation, if not harder.”
Mason Kelley and Cole Beaufait
With sophomore Mason Kelley’s return to the Forest Hills Central hockey team, the chemistry between him and junior Cole Beaufait skyrocketed. These two are a duo that plays on the first line as a center and wing, respectively, so naturally they are relying on each other all game, every game. Cole had a lot of the team’s assists and was usually the one to give Mason the puck and set up a lot of the team’s shots. These two players will continue on in one last season together next year, as Cole will be a senior. With the loss of a few key seniors, the junior-sophomore duo will be expected to step up next year and lead the team to a season just as successful as this one.
“We see the play develop the same way when we are on the ice,” Mason said. “Cole is a really good player who makes good plays, and it is really easy to play with someone like that.”
Jimmy Scholler and Mitchell Wilkinson
For the past two years, juniors Jimmy Scholler and Mitchell Wilkinson have made their presence known on the Forest Hills Central boys varsity basketball team and were a significant threat to every team they play. They combined to score at least half of the team’s points in several games this season and even combined for 57 points in one game. Both of these two have been varsity starters their sophomore and junior years, and after losing so much talent from the senior class these last few seasons, they have stepped up and filled the gap. Also, during the team’s Cornerstone Tournament, Jimmy was named all-tournament and Mitchell was named Tournament MVP.
“We have been playing together since we were in third grade, and we have grown up together, so naturally we work well together,” Jimmy said. “I can rely on him at all times because he is such a good shooter, so I get a lot of my assists from him.”