On May 31, 2023, the boys varsity golf team did something that has not been done in a long time here at FHC. The boys traveled up to Ferris State Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, where they competed in the Regional Tournament. The Rangers placed second out of eighteen teams, qualifying them for the State Tournament, a feat that has not been accomplished since 2012.

As a team, everyone contributed and played pretty well, but leading the way for the boys were junior captains Nicholas Notarnicola and Philip Murdock. Nico, as he likes to be called, placed 5th overall with a 78. On top of this, he earned All-Region Top 5 honors. He was incredibly happy with his personal performance but even more happy that the team was headed to States.

“It feels really good that we were able to accomplish something this big, and we took advantage of getting moved down a division this year. We have been building towards this all season and were all able to put together a good round at the same time, which shows our potential.” Nico told me.

Philip wasn’t far behind Nico, shooting a 79 and finishing in 9th place overall. The consistency of these two captains is what led the team to this great performance. However, other notable scores included junior Cam Svoboda with an 81 andfFreshman Matthew Murdock with an 84. In past years, only individuals had qualified for states, which makes going as a whole team feel even more special.

“It feels great, having watched my brother go as an individual the past 2 years it feels amazing to go all together as a team,” Philip said.

At a time when most teams are having banquets, turning in uniforms, and saying their final goodbyes to the seniors, our Rangers will not be doing any of this. They will be competing in the state tournament, something that very few teams get to do. All the hard work of the boys is paying off, and just at the right time. However, the boys still have their eyes set on the prize: a state championship. Head Coach Paul TenEyck is going to do everything he can to put his players in the right position to make this possible.

On top of talking about how proud of his team he is, Coach TenEyck stated that “We will continue to work on what we’ve worked on all year long. I’m very proud of their hard work, their hard work paid off, and now we are moving on.”

The state tournament will be held next weekend, June 9-10, at The Fortress in Frankenmuth.