There is no doubt that FHC’s boys varsity lacrosse team was feeling good entering Tuesday night’s matchup against Grand Rapids Catholic Central. 

The Rangers knocked off three consecutive top teams in the region before spring break; so, they were heavy favorites against a struggling CC program. They did their jobs by mounting an early lead and never looking back. 

A 15-7 victory exemplified the start-to-finish control that FHC possessed, even with moments of sloppy play. Juniors Magnus Salmon and Jonah McConnell paved the way with four goals apiece, while senior John Tomsheck tallied two. Juniors Jake Koning and Reese Le scored once.

Due to the sizeable lead throughout the game, head coach Andy Shira turned to his younger core. It paid off, as these underclassmen proved their worth to the team in a big way. Nolan Hartl reached the scoring column and fellow sophomore Luke VanGorp did a phenomenal job on the defensive end. Even Orion Roskam, a freshman, notched a goal.

“The underclassmen showed us a lot,” senior captain Jack McNamara said. “They brought us a lot of the energy and focus that we were missing.”

Coach Shira also reflected on the mental aspect of the game and how his squad stacks up in that category.

“I’d like to see the team improve its mental preparation. I think we came in expecting to win because of the name on our jerseys, and now the guys know we’re going to get everyone’s best,” coach Shira said. “But, I’m proud of our guys for gutting out the win and starting conference play 1-0.”

Looking ahead, the Rangers have an entire week of practice to gear up for more conference play, Next Tuesday, April 19, FHC hosts Caledonia at 7:00 PM before a Division-II showdown with Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on Friday.

“After this week, the focus has to get much sharper as we begin to get into the swing of three games per week,” coach Shira said. “One thing our group of guys does really well is leaving the past in the past and wanting to move forward and get better.”