The boys varsity golf team is about to start up its 2019 season after placing second in the conference to the Huskies of Forest Hills Northern in 2018. Last season was successful, but a few key changes are going to shake up the team this year. Many underclassmen, including sophomores Nic Stout and Cam David and junior John Corey, will have to step up with a strong graduating class from the previous season departing.

“This season is going to be a lot of fun,” John said. “We’ve got a young team, and I’m excited to see how we do in tournaments and throughout the rest of the year.”

For the past 21 years, FHC varsity golf has always had the goals of winning Conference and Regional meets and qualifying for States. Last year, the Rangers fell just short; however, this year, head coach Paul Ten Eyck is looking to turn things around. Taking each match play by play has been a successful strategy for the Rangers, as they continue to rank high in big tournaments.

“This season we’re just going to focus on one game at a time,” Cam said. “Once we do that, we can focus tournament-wide and hopefully do well in our conference.”

Led by three-year varsity player and junior Isaiah Huempfner, the team is looking to be better than ever. Isaiah had a very successful season last year and even finished his last match with a score of 77, closely following Mike Battiste’s 76. Like previously mentioned, some new faces are joining the team, as Joe Murdock gets his freshman debut.

“It’s a real honor to be the only freshman on varsity,” Joe said. “Although it is a lot of pressure, this season is going to be a lot of fun. It’ll be cool to see our success throughout the season and I’m excited to see how we play in big tournaments.”

With a team this young, leadership is going to be crucial; Ten Eyck is going to focus on the concept of leadership early in the season to get things rolling. Later on in tournaments, this will prove crucial to the team’s success and will allow FHC to stand out over all other schools.

“This year is going to be a learning year for most of our players,” Ten Eyck said. “We have very little varsity experience except for Isaiah Huempfner, who has been in the program for three years.”

The team starts off its season with their first match on Wednesday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. at the Kent County Classic, before traveling to Ohio for the Southern Swing Tournament on Friday and Saturday.