Any sports season has many unpredictable parts, but the boys junior varsity golf team knows one thing is for sure: it is on its way to success against some of the conference’s hardest opponents. 

The team has had three matches in the past two weeks consisting of the FHC JV Golf Invite, a showdown at Northview, and most recently Byron Center on FHC’s home course. 

First off, on April 21, the team hosted the FHC JV Golf Invite at Thornapple Pointe. The team split into an A and B team to maximize its athletes’ potential against Cedar Springs, Greenville, Rockford, Mona Shores, East Grand Rapids, NorthPointe Christian, Forests Hills Northern, and Northview. With a powerhouse roster for all teams, the Rangers put it all out on the course to come out victorious against the strong competition. In the end, the Rangers’ A-team got fifth overall and the B-team placed ninth. Although the teams didn’t win, this was a step in the right direction and exposed the boys to competition outside of their usual realm. 

Despite the season starting strong, the team has run into many problems that have affected its performance.

“[The season] started off rough; the weather was terrible, but the weather is getting better and we are all looking forward to the rest of our exciting golf season,” freshman Jacob Elliot said. 

Head coach Bill Alexander agreed with Jacob on this matter.

“Our biggest challenge so far this year has been the weather.  With a sport like golf, you can’t just ‘layer up’ and move on,” coach Alexander said. “You need to still be able to swing the club.  This has been one of the worst seasons in recent memory in terms of the wind and low temperatures.”

Next up, on the 25 of April, the team traveled to Boulder Creek to face off against Northview. The boys had seen Northview play before, so they knew who they were up against. But, that meant they knew they had their work cut out for them. After the points were totaled up, the Rangers came out victorious against the Wildcats after a strong battle on both sides. 

Lastly, the team invited Byron Center’s Bulldogs to Thornapple Pointe for what both teams knew would be a test of skills. The Rangers and Bulldogs golfed their hearts out, but in the end, the Bulldogs came out ahead and defeated FHC.

“Today, I thought we all played well and tried our best to beat Byron,” sophomore Trystan Tilton said. “I think we all have grown very comfortable together.”

The team travels next to Indian Trails on Monday, May 2, where it will take on the Forest Hills Northern Huskies. 

“It is nice to see different guys show up as our low score.  It means that they are all capable of shooting a low score,” coach Alexander said. “Now we just need to have them all shoot low scores on the same day.”