Senior Gavin Keeler and junior Ashley Anderson finished 3-0 in the FHC Round Robin tournament this past weekend. The tournament was organized as an individual tournament regarding placing in which each wrestler individually competed in three rounds. Lowell, Forest Hills Northern, and Grandville were the three competitors FHC went up against at home.

“The round-robin tournament was a great success,” head coach Michael Moore said. “Our Rangers had some great matches, and the tournament itself could not have gone smoother.”

 Gavin competed against all three schools within the three rounds. He defeated an opponent from Lowell in the first round rather quickly. In the second round, he pinned his opponent from Grandville in 27 seconds in the first period. Ending with a 3-0 record, Gavin defeated a Northern opponent in round 3.

“[Going undefeated] felt pretty good,” Gavin said. “I put in a lot of work in the summer, and it paid off today.”

Ashley defeated another FHC opponent in the first round. Then, in just the first period of the second round, he pinned a Grandville opponent. In the third round, he defeated another Grandville opponent, which left him undefeated throughout the tournament. 

“I hit the moves I planned on hitting, and it felt really nice to go undefeated,” Ashley said. 

Another stand out was junior Josiah Purdue. He defeated a Lowell opponent in the first round. In the second round, he secured the win by pinning his opponent from FHN within the first 47 seconds of the first period. Unfortunately, Josiah suffered a head injury early in the first period of the third round and could no longer compete. He ultimately went 2-1 in his first matches of his career and shows some great potential for the Rangers. 

“We are really looking forward to seeing him develop,” Moore said.

With each individual’s first meet off their shoulders, they were able to improve on positional battles. With more meets scheduled in the near future, the Rangers look to work on positional awareness.

“Recognizing when you are in a bad position and adjusting is something that will come up more in matches,” Moore said.

However, with the team’s already-growing chemistry, the Rangers are looking forward to a competitive season going into their first conference play. 

“We all play for each other and want the best for each other,” Josiah said. 

The individual matchups this weekend will help the Rangers be prepared for their first conference meet this Wednesday. The Rangers are familiar with many Lowell faces after this weekend. They will be competing in a double dual against Lowell, East Kentwood, and Caledonia. 

The Rangers’ next meet is on the road this Wednesday, December 18th at Lowell.

“I am looking forward to how they develop in the upcoming weeks,” Moore said.