Within the past week, some news was revealed by the MHSAA that could be both shocking and intriguing. FHC football is switching divisions this upcoming season. After the Ranger football team took runner up for the MHSAA division two state title this past season, the team was notified on April 6 that it would no longer be in the division two category but rather that it would actually be moving down to next season to compete in division three. This took many by surprise considering the astonishing outcome of the previous season. To understand why Ranger football moved down a division, one must first know how these divisions are decided and what factors are taken into account.

One needs to realize that there is a difference between divisions and classes. In the state of Michigan, there are eight divisions and four classes. Primarily, the criteria for how the division system is set up is based on enrollment rates for the schools and also in combination with how many schools participate in that particular sport. The class system is set up similarly, but it is solely dependent on enrollment rates. This means that while the entirety of Forest Hills Central is in Class B, the division that a team plays in may vary by sport. One example of this was in the 2022-2023 seasons when FHC football was competing in division two while FHC hockey competed in division one. This is because more schools participated in football which pushed that team down while less schools participated in hockey which pushed that team up. FHC football changed divisions but they did not change classes.

What will this mean for the Ranger football team? The team will still remain in the OK White Conference and play the same schools as before such as Northview, Byron Center, and Lowell, but when it comes to the playoffs, FHC football will play completely different, and possibly smaller, schools such as Detroit Martin Luther King, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, and Cadillac. This could be seen as an advantage because of the FHC football program’s success in the past seasons while being in division two; playing smaller schools may pose as an easier task, but the Rangers know that lesser enrollment schools do not always mean lesser talent.

This upcoming season will be interesting because of the changes in what they have been accustomed to. The FHC football team will continue to impress even with the switching of divisions. This fall, the Rangers football team will have to adapt to the new changes that come along with facing new opponents, but the team is looking to continue with their winning ways and efforts to glory.