JT Hartman

From playing as running back, filling in as quarterback during playoffs, and a staple player on defense, senior JT Hartman was a key player throughout the FHC varsity football team. In the postseason alone, Hartman would be one of the leading players with rushing yards, gaining 205 yards in the Lowell game, 139 yards in the Mt. Pleasant game, and 135 yards in the Gaylord game. Hartman is not only a main player but a leader as well, being one of the three captains. He was also named OK White All-Conference this season alongside six other of his teammates. 

Avery Weslow

With a record-breaking season, senior captain Avery Weslow was a key player throughout. This season, she broke the school record with 1361 kills, 1220 digs, and 279 aces. She also was nominated for Miss Volleyball, which is a prestigious award for recognition of athletic performance on the court. Along with this outstanding nomination, she would be the only girl on the FHC varsity volleyball team named OK White All-Conference and All-Region this season.

Clara James-Heer

Division I committed to Michigan for cross country and track & field; senior captain Clara Jame-Heer was a top performer on the varsity cross country team. Being one of the top runners during every race and being a dependable athlete for points, she helped lead her to win regionals. Along with regionals, she also led the team in placing 13th overall at Divison 1 States while also placing 17th overall individually with a time of 18:27.9 in the 5000-meter. James-Heer was also be one of three girls named OK White All-Conference on the girls varsity cross country team.

Alex Moeller

Even though just joining the team this year, senior Alex Moeller did not disappoint in the slightest with being one of the top scorers and becoming one of the three captains for the 2023 season. Throughout this season, Moeller got a total of 21 goals and averaged one goal per game. He also assisted ten goals this season as well. Moeller, along with three other teammates, was named OK White All-Conference for the FHC varsity soccer team. His talents would not go unnoticed, with Moeller committing to play Division I soccer at Western Michigan.

Skyler Tierney

Being captain for two years, senior Skyler Tierney has played an important role throughout this season’s varsity golf. She would be one of the top scorers this season, averaging 79 shots for 18 holes and averaging 38 shots for nine holes. At conference, she placed third overall and led her team to place third as well; she also was named OK White All-Conference. During regionals, she helped lead her team to take first place overall. She also placed sixth overall at Division II States and was named all-state. With these many accomplishments, Tierney committed to continue her golf career at Eastern Michigan.

Alex Moeller’s game-winning goal against FHN

Here’s the situation: Kyle Webb has the ball and makes four defenders miss. Alex Moeller suddenly appears from the right wing, splits the defenders, and calls for the ball. Kyle Webb has to decide to take the ball by himself or read the defense and make a pass. He chooses the latter. Moeller receives the ball from Webb, takes a few steps, and laces a shot past the FHN goalie, Ryan Abramowski. This goal makes the score 2-1, FHC. The goal goes on to be the game-winner in the heated rivalry game.

Parker Udy seals the game against FHN with a game-winning interception 

Sophomore cornerback Parker Udy had been a key player on defense the whole season up to this point. The narrative continued in the rivalry game against FHN. Northern was running a slant about 10 yards downfield, Udy cut off the route and forced the QB to make an errant throw on the run. Udy picked it off. The Rangers would go on to kneel it three times and bleed out the clock. This win would set up the Rangers for the rest of the season, they would go on to finish with a 5-4 record.

Will Banfield sends the boys cross-country team to states

Will Banfield has been the glue that kept the boys cross-country team together this year, finishing under the 17-minute barrier multiple times this year including in the meet where it mattered the most. The boys had one goal at this meet: finish in the top 3 teams. If they did that, they would be state state-bound for the second time in a row. No surprise, they did just that. Banfield knew he needed to finish right behind the phenom freshman, Ben Romero. Romero came in as the first FHC runner at 16:12, then the rest filed in Banfield next, then Sawyer McCarthy, then Parker Ludwig. This sealed the deal as FHC finished second; they were headed to states all thanks to Will Banfield.

JT Hartman puts the nail-in-the-coffin in the District Championship game versus Mt. Pleasant

Wildcat formation. JT Harman is under center at midfield, and Mason McDonald is on the sideline. Hartmann snaps the ball and takes off. Hartman is widely known for breaking tackles; it’s what he does, and the narrative did not change in that play. Hartman broke through the line and found the sideline; in that moment the crowd knew JT Hartman had found the endzone. This sealed the game for the Rangers.

Alex Moeller’s game-sealing goal against EK

Alex Moeller got the ball at midfield, scissored two defenders in front of him, and found the edge. Moeller beat every defender to the box and tapped it in, ball bottom right. This sealed the game for the Rangers, making it 2-1. They would go on to win the game 2-1 against the #2 team in the state at the time. Alex Moeller found something special during this season; he led everyone on the team with goals, solidifying his one year of high school soccer.

Alex Chen 

An integral member of the boys varsity tennis team, Alex Chen has proved himself to be one of the highest-performing seniors among the fall sport athletes. Chen is a four-year varsity athlete and senior captain. He helped lead the team to place first at regionals and second at conference. In his junior season, he played one doubles; in his senior season, he played two doubles, highlighting his doubles expertise. This season, he and Willem Knoester became Division II state champions and tied for the best season record in FHC tennis history: 33-1.

Peyton Ludwig

Peyton Ludwig has consistently placed among the top female cross country runners at FHC. Running since first grade, she has shown her determination throughout. Her times this season have reflected some of the best in the area, as her best in 5000 meters was 19:22. Ludwig earned OK White All-Conference her freshman, sophomore, and junior year, along with all-conference honorable mention her senior year. This has led her to become a four-year varsity athlete. Her efforts have resulted in her never dropping a race, and she helped lead her team to states, where they placed 13th in Division I. 

Parker Ludwig

Senior captain and four-year varsity athlete Parker Ludwig has made a name for himself on FHC’s cross country team. Ludwig has been running since first grade and consistently runs 16-minute times in 5000 meters—his season best was 16:24 at the Ottawa Hills Invitational. He earned OK White All-Conference his junior and senior years and brought his team to placing second at regionals, where they were projected to place fourth; he also led his team to a fourteenth-place finish at states. 

Maya Fitzgerald

Maya Fitzgerald has been a core aspect of FHC golf ever since beginning high school—a four-year varsity athlete, she has consistently been one of the top athletes representing girls golf. Fitgerald has collected three OK White All-Conference recognitions, those being in her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Individually, she placed sixth at regionals and was greatly responsible for their overall first-place finish. She has been a captain in both her junior and senior years, indicating her skill and leadership.

Ty Hudkins

Ty Hudkins has become one of the few defining faces of Ranger football. His accomplishments as a wide receiver and safety have been unparalleled; Hudkins received All-State and broke the receiving yards and touchdowns record at FHC his junior year, and received OK White All-Conference for offense/defense this year. His prowess has earned him his commitment to play Division I football at Purdue University. 

Phillip Murdock

Phillip has been playing tennis since he was little. In his senior season, he played 1 doubles with Nico Notarnicola and made it to the state semi-finals, where they lost a close one against Midland Dows. He is also one of the top players on the varsity golf team, where he went to states as a junior. Overall, he is an all-around great athlete and deserves recognition for his achievements.

Lucas Fors 

Fors is a four-year veteran in the FHC Football program. Unlike most players, he plays both sides of the ball and is dominant either way. He’s an impenetrable force on the O-Line and nearly unstoppable on the D-Line. This year, he averages almost three tackles per game and has a fumble recovery, which has been recognized by many due to him being named OK White All-Conference Honorable Mention. Fors not only is a key player on the field but with leadership as well due to him being one of three captains for the varsity football team this year. Nonetheless, his work on the field and in the weight room always shows on game day, and he’s consistently an offensive and defensive weapon every week. 

Maggie Holt

Holt is a sophomore on the varsity swim and dive team.  She has been swimming for around seven years and has been on the team for both years of her high school career, where she is one of the fastest underclassmen with her PR in the 100 yard backstroke at 1:01. Holt was also one of the only ones on the team to qualify for the MISCA meet with her impressive backstroke times along with the 200 yard individual medley.

Clare Mathison

Mathison is an incredible runner and a crucial member of the cross-country team. She was ranked 3rd on the team this year and had an astonishing PR in the 5k at 19:08. While she is only a junior, her consistent work ethic week to week made her an extraordinary athlete that her coaches can always rely on to perform. Mathison was also third on the team at states, which helped the team place 13th overall.  She was also placed in the top ten overall at regionals with an impressive time of 19:42 and was a key component in helping the team win their first regional title.

Bennet Nieuwkoop

Nieuwkoop has been a part of the FHC program all four years of his high school career. He’s been a part of the varsity team for three years and’s been a key player ever since. Nweukoop is among the top goal scorers on the team with seven goals just this season, 12 goals in his whole varsity career, and a goal average of 0.3 goals per game. He is consistently a player the team can rely on to make big plays to win games.

Varsity football vs Byron Center

Going into week five of the high school season, the Rangers have been on an absolute roll. Scoring twenty-six points or more against every previous opponent only allows an average of seven points each game. With this being a home game, there was a ton of hype, a tailgate was held, and the stands were full. However, after a low-scoring first half, tensions were insanely high, and nearing the end of the game with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Byron Center scored, making the score 13-14. Afterward, they attempted a two-point conversion. They succeeded and pretty much ended the game as we attempted to make a big play on our final offensive drive but failed. The game was intense and, unfortunately, the only loss in the regular season.

Varsity soccer against GRC in district finals

Having a strong defensive first half, both teams had zero points. FHC was ready to finish the first half without any score and go into the locker room to discuss their plans for the second half. However, their focus was lost as GRC scored right before the half ended. It entirely messed up the flow of the team as they finished the game 3-1 with a loss.

Volleyball against Lowell in the district finals

Although this game was a loss of three sets, it was one of the best games the team played, going against Lowell in the playoffs. This team was their chance to stay in the playoffs and try to win. Having lost the first set 24-26, the team wasn’t undetermined; they were putting up a good score against a good team. Unfortunately, the team was only able to put up 19-25 in both the second and third sets.

Freshman football against Portage Central

After their week one game was canceled shortly due to one of the most abstract-looking storms, the team was looking to get their first win since their seventh-grade year, not having won a single game their eighth-grade season. After a close game for all four quarters, the team eventually scored to get the score to a 6-7 difference. However, Portage Central scored to make the score 13-6. The freshmen couldn’t fix the score, ending the game in a super close loss that was simply heartbreaking.

Freshman volleyball against Greenville

With the Freshman team going up against Greenville, the team was very confident. Having won the first set by a large amount, the team began to gain an ego. However, they let up a loss in the second; the team began to slip, and they were now in a close game. Afterward, the team went into the third set and lost badly, the score being a whopping 7-15.

Brendan Cargill

Brendan Cargill is a junior on the varsity football team and plays wide receiver. Looking back into the 2022 football season, Cargill played on the JV team as the number one target for quarterback Max Holser. Cargill didn’t see the field much going into playoffs when he was pulled up to varsity during the 2022 season because he was a sophomore. However, in the 2023 season, Cargill caught 4 touchdown passes, 17 receptions, an average of 15.9 yards per reception, and 270 yards. Due to this, Cargill is Mason McDonald’s second favorite target in the wide receiver position behind Tyler Hudkins.

Lance Childers

Lance Childers is a senior on the varsity soccer team and plays goalie. Looking back to the statistics of last year, Childers averaged about 2.4 S/G and 0.451 GAA. In the off-season, Childers worked every day with footwork and getting stronger in the gym; it paid off. This year, the stats have skyrocketed, leading him to a 4.0 S/G and .881 GAA, which was impressive for their strength of schedule.

Jacob Sanford

Jacob Sanford is a junior at FHC and one of the cross-country team’s top runners. Sanford has shown a lot of improvement since last season. He averaged between the 7th and 8th runner on the entire team, but this year Sanford has upped his placement by being the 4th and 5th runner. This spot is significant because it caps off the scoring. 

Isaac Stephan

Isaac Stephan is a sophomore on the JV football team. Last year, with the teams being combined between freshman and sophomore, Stephan didn’t see the field much. He was considered the 3rd string-pulling guard. This year, Stephan has started on both sides of the field and is regarded as one of the best linemen on the entire team. He recently moved to varsity to help the team advance in the playoffs.

Kaitlyn Childers

Kaitlyn Childers is a junior on the varsity volleyball team and is a defensive specialist. Childers played during that start of the season, but this was far from where she was at the end. Towards the second half of the season, Childers became a consistent passer and came up with many digs that led her to earn more playing time. She helped the team on the defensive side of the ball in the last half of the season.

Jenna Stibitz

Jenna Stibitz is a freshman varsity volleyball player who plays setter. Stibitz started for ten games, accumulating around 50 assists on the court and more than 20 aces. Her best performance of the year was their last game in the season when the team ran a six-two formation as a team. Jenna helped with 15 assists in that game. 

Micah Scholtens

Micah Scholtens is a sophomore center back and outside on the varsity soccer team. Scholtens had one goal and a couple of assists in his first year on varsity. Scholtens started every 18 games and played the entire game in 12 out of those 18 starts. He helped accumulate a total of ten clean sheets. Scholtens’s best performance of the year was against Caledonia; he locked up on defense and allowed no shots on goal. 

Allison Meny

Alison Meny is a sophomore on the varsity swim and dive team. Meny’s best time of the year was her 200 free with a time of 1:58.79 and her 100 free with a time of 55.11. Accumulating several first-place finishes, she was a reliable swimmer who earned 550 points for her team this season. Alison was a crucial part of the great success of this year’s swim team.

Austin Rowland

Austin Rowland is a sophomore on the varsity men’s tennis team. Rowland got state runner-up for doubles and was a key reason for the team finishing sixth overall. He and senior Owen Godley were one of the top-performing flights on the team at four doubles.

Ben Romero

Ben Romero is a freshman and was on the varsity cross-country team. Romero’s best time was 16:07 at the state meet when he finished first on the varsity cross-country team. He also placed 57th in the state as a freshman and was constantly a top-five freshman throughout the year. Also, he helped lead the boys to a 14th palace finish in the States.

Tim Rogers

With as dominant a football program as the Rangers have, it’s easy to point at coaching as one of the many reasons for the success. Rogers has had a long, successful career as head coach, with a state finals appearance last year and potentially another one this year.  The state playoffs are currently ongoing, with FHC dominating every team they’ve played so far. A standout team starts with a standout head coach, which is precisely what Rogers is.

Paul Kramer

Although FHC soccer’s season didn’t end how they wanted it to, there were still several great moments for the team, coached by Kramer. FHC picked up a win over top team Forest Hills Northern, adding to an already very successful season. Kramer led the team to a 15-4-1 record and a district finals appearance, no small task in a very competitive conference.

Ryan Schipper

The cross-country team continues to fly under the radar when it comes to talked-about teams at FHC. Coach Schipper has led the team to back-to-back appearances at state finals, which is no small feat, no matter the program. There are some talented runners on the FHC cross-country team, and Schipper has contributed significantly to their development. Hopefully, the cross-country team gets the recognition they deserve for the work of the players and coaches.

Dan Bolhouse

When you have a state championship doubles team, coaching can’t go unnoticed. Bolhouse has been with the program for many years, leading some very successful varsity tennis teams. That culminated in a state title this year for doubles partners Willem Knoester and Alex Chen, showing that Bolhouse’s dedication continues to pay off. As the Ranger Tennis team continues to succeed, Bolhouse will continue to have his fingerprints all over the program.

Paul Ten Eyck

Girl’s golf is another rather unnoticed sport when it comes to FHC athletics, but it was still a big year for the program. Led by Ten Eyck, the team finished in the top 5 in the state, with Skylar Tierney scoring especially well individually. Ten Eyck coached the team to all that success, and his efforts need to be recognized.

Ashley Hibma against Caledonia

Just one of the six people on the FHC equestrian team, Ashley Hibma made her presence known in their second meet of the season. Hibma put up an impressive performance when competing against a powerhouse Caledonia team with a history of earning the most points. She participated in 12 classes that meet—the maximum amount of slots that a rider can be in—and scored 42 out of 51 possible points. 

JT Hartman against Lowell/Mt Pleasant

The true RB1 for Ranger Football has established himself as quite a reliable scorer. It’s hard to nominate just one individual performance throughout the season. Hartman has had multiple performances with multiple touchdowns and more than 200 yards, especially recently in the playoffs against Lowell (28 carries, 205 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Mt. Pleasant. He has also played snaps as quarterback when either Mason McDonald or Max Holser were out and middle linebacker throughout the season. 

Sawyer McCarthy at Shepherd Bluejay Invite

One of FHC’s top cross-country runners, Sawyer McCarthy, had a spectacular showing at the Shepherd Bluejay Invite in September. The meet had many divisions of runners from all over the state of Michigan, and McCarthy faced tough competition but managed to run his best time of the season and a new PR. McCarthy finished at 16:08.1, placing 38th out of 258 total runners, and helped lead his team to an 8th-place finish. 

Reese Bonsall against East Kentwood

Before this school year started, JV soccer star Reese Bonsall proved that he was ready for the season. Bonsall scored an impressive five goals in only his team’s second game of the season. His outstanding performance led the JV soccer team to an 8-0 shutout against a solid East Kentwood squad and established him as a reliable scorer going forward.

Mia Shaffer at Regionals

For Mia Shaffer, a first-year diver, the sky was the limit on what she could achieve. The idea was to qualify for states, but it didn’t come without challenge. The number of divers who qualify depends on what region each school is a part of, and FHC’s region only takes the top 12 divers. Shaffer had an amazing performance at regionals, placing 9th overall with a score of 308.15 after 11 dives and qualifying for states (as a freshman).

Willem Knoester & Alex Chen

Winning the MHSAA Division II state championship for doubles, Chen and Knoester were an unstoppable force on the court. The doubles pair only lost one matchup, which was to overall team state champions Midland Dow. Knoester and Chen have a great connection on and off the court, which greatly contributes to their success.

Alex Moeller & Chris Dongmo

This senior duo accounted for a large portion of the boys varsity soccer team’s assists and goals. Dongmo had all of his assists to Moeller and Moeller returned the favor with many great passes that led to goals by Dongmo.

Nick Williams & Adam Piotrowski

Against Portage Central, Williams connected with Piotrowski for a 60-yard touchdown. This was a common theme for the FHC JV football team, as Williams stated that Piotrowski was his favorite target for the season. The duo also mentioned that their success partly comes from their great connection off the field.

Jia Niemeyer & Rachel Yeager

The FHC swim & dive team’s top two divers were Niemeyer and Yeager. The pair of divers are both state qualifiers for diving and have won several individual meets. Yeager said that their success is due to the fact that since they are so close and they push each other a lot in order to win. The duo placed 4th and 5th at the conference meet.

Kadence Roelfzema & Avery Weslow

A majority of Roelfzema’s assists were to Weslow, who broke numerous school records for volleyball. Most of Weslow’s kills were also due to Roelfzema setting her up (Roelfzema finished with 672 assists) . Without Roelfzema, Weslow would have had a harder time achieving three school records, and Roelfzema wouldn’t have reached 1500+ career assists. The duo also has a great relationship off the court.

JV soccer against East Kentwood

The FHC JV soccer team had a very good season. However, one win stuck out from the others—its win against East Kentwood. The game started very well for the Rangers, and by the end of the half, FHC was up 5-0 against a good East Kentwood team. The Rangers kept their momentum throughout halftime—playing very well in the second half. In the end, FHC mercied East Kentwood, winning 8-0. The team was led by Reese Bonsall, who finished the game with five goals for the Rangers. 

Freshman football against East Grand Rapids

Throughout the season for this freshman football team, they kept having very close games but never came out on top. That was until their game against East Grand Rapids. This class of freshmen hadn’t won a single football game in years including in middle school. Finally, when East Grand Rapids’ freshman football team came over to Ranger Stadium, the Rangers played an amazing game all around, and in the end, they won their first football game of the season 27-7.

Varsity football against East Grand Rapids

This year, the varsity football team has had one of their most successful seasons ever. One very big win the Rangers had this season was against an undefeated East Grand Rapids football team in their homecoming game. FHC’s defense was dominant throughout the game, and the scoreboard showed it at the end of the game because East Grand Rapids didn’t score a single point against the Ranger defense. The star of the show was J.T. Hartman, who scored both touchdowns for the Rangers. He scored one rushing touchdown and one touchdown on defense. Alex Moeller also had two field goals this game, putting the final score at 20-0. 

Varsity soccer against Forest Hills Northern

The varsity soccer team had another amazing season this year. This was one of if not the biggest matchup of the season for the Rangers, and it was away against one of the best teams in the state that at the time was undefeated. Forest Hills Northern took the lead 1-0 in the first half, but little did they know that it was going to be their only goal of the game. Starting the second half, the Rangers were down 1-0, but in the second half, FHC was more comfortable playing in this intense game as they scored two goals in the second half. In the end, the Rangers took the big rivalry game 2-1.

Girls cross country wins regionals

The girls cross country team had their most successful season ever this year. For the first time in school history, the girls cross country team won the regional meet. Leading the team was top FHC runner Clara James-Heer, who recently committed to Michigan for cross country and track & field. She finished with a time of 18:40.24 and finished second place overall. The next runner to finish for FHC was Clare Mathison, with a time of 19:42.09 and 9th place overall. Right behind her was Anna Sybenga, with a time of 19:50.33 and 10th place overall. These performances helped boost FHC into first place, where they won the meet with only 57 points. The team that got second place, Kalamazoo Central, was very far behind them with 119 points. This dominant performance by the Rangers won them a regional championship for the first time in school history.