For the first time this season, the FHC boys bowling team won not one but two baker games to give them an early jolt of confidence in a rematch versus Grand Rapids Christian at Christian’s home alley, Park Lanes. 

“We haven’t ever won both baker games all season,” head coach Terry Metzner explained, “so it was a perfect start for us.”

The boys’ 10-0 lead on GR Christian was short-lived, as they weren’t able to translate their superb baker game performance to the individual rounds. From mental errors to small mistakes, the boys didn’t fare well individually, and they struggled to extend their sizable lead later down the road. When the last pin dropped, FHC came up short in a 16-14 loss to the Eagles.

“We kind of gave it away at the end,” coach Metzner remarked. “We were so close to a great victory, but we just couldn’t finish it out.”

Calling on his linchpins to step up, coach Metzner handed the keys down to sophomore Peyton Price and senior David Whittaker to whip up some electrifying numbers. Peyton won his first individual bout by scoring a team-high 195 points. David, on the other hand, backed up Peyton’s contributions with a 181 in the second round of individuals.

On top of already being short at least three players, the girls team walked into Park Lanes down two more players. In the absence of one of their most productive bowlers in freshman Skyler Tierney, the Lady Ranger pin-smashers fell to a resounding 30-0 defeat at the hands of GR Christian. Freshman Olivia Smith spun countless spares in for positive points for the Lady Ranger strikers and ended her first individual game with a score of 118. Filled to the brim with freshmen, this girls team’s inexperience might have come back to bite them down the stretch of this season; however, these 12 past encounters with defeat only will morph them into an even more potent team next year.

In two games, the 2020-2021 bowling season officially meets its end; all of the 3:30 games right after a long day at school and all of the monotonous after-school practices will be old news in a few weeks. Next up on the docket for the Ranger strikers are the Red Arrows of Lowell on Wednesday, March 10th. 

“At this point, we are counting on our upperclassmen to finish the season out and compete to win the last two games on the schedule,” said coach Terry Metzner.