As the fall season approached, freshman who are new to the Ranger community had a lot to prove. Whether their debut is at tryouts, first day of practice, or first competitive event, freshman athletes always have immense pressure on them. At FHC, there were two fall freshman athletes who did not let this pressure hinder their athletic abilities. These freshman are Kenzie Manders and MJ Dipres.

Kenzie Manders is a coordinated athlete who comes in at a height of six feet one inch. Most athletes yearn to have both of these valuable traits. Quite often, you see many athletes who are blessed with height but aren’t coordinated which inhibits them from reaching their greatest potential. I assure you that Kenzie does not have to worry about this. She had a starting position on both the JV volleyball team and JV basketball team as a freshman. Volleyball and basketball aren’t her only sports as she plays soccer in the spring.

Touching base on her volleyball career, Kenzie played middle blocker which is [in my opinion] the third hardest position [out of six positions]. As a freshman, majority of FHC’s opposing teams consists mostly of sophomores which means that the other teams have the advantage of being exposed to high school volleyball one year more than Kenzie. This did not stop her from reaching her greatest potential. At the beginning of the season, she was shy, kept to herself, and overall, was nervous to play. However, during the finals against Wayland at a tournament, that was a turning point in Kthe Byron Center game that fueled her volleyball confidence. After that game, she came out to dominate the rest of the season.

Kenzie is a tri-sport athlete, appears to be one step ahead of her other athletes her age, and displays the utmost sportsmanship to her opponents and teammates which is why I believe that Kenzie Manders is the best female fall athlete of the 2026 class.

The best male athlete of the 2026 class is MJ Dipres. MJ is quite frequently deemed overrated and doubted by many of his opponents. I can quite honestly say that I disagree with both of those sentiments and have never doubted him in all of the years that I have known him. Although my opinion may be offered with some bias, spectators are unable to deny the fact that he is the tallest, fastest, and strongest player on the field. His soccer experience comes along once in a lifetime, and you don’t see many freshman athletes who have the talent to do what he has accomplished.

At the young age of thirteen, he signed an agreement to play soccer with the Red Bull Youth Academy as an eighth grader. After playing soccer with the program for a year, he decided to come home to FHC. When he returned to FHC this past fall, he tried out for the soccer team and unsurprisingly made varsity. Making varsity as a freshman is a huge milestone for highly committed athletes. He blended in well with the varsity team; however, coming from playing for the Red Bulls to playing for a high school team was a giant change. High school was slower paced compared to what he was used to. However, MJ did not handle this arrogantly and remained humbled. Although he is a versatile player, his main position is striker. His advantages in physique, skill, experience, and athletic virtue puts him on top of my list.

To MJ and Kenzie, you are admired for your commitment to the sports in which you play, and your athletic abilities do not go unnoticed. To those of you who are enticed by my column, look for the next installment of Tz’s Tea as I focus on my next editorial: best fall seniors.