The Forest Hills Central Rangers freshman football team lost a heartbreaker on September 19th against the Unity Christian Crusaders, 28-20.
The Rangers went to work early in this football game, with Collin Grupe taking the opening kickoff 95 yards to the house to give FHC an early lead. Although the extra point attempt was blocked, the Rangers were up 6-0. The FHC defense made multiple big tackles on Unity Christian’s first offensive possession, forcing the Crusaders to go 3-and-out on their first drive. The Rangers were not able to convert on the big stops, though, as they fumbled on the second play of their next drive, giving the ball to UC at midfield. The Crusaders immediately took advantage of the turnover with a 30-yard run by their running back that set them up at the Rangers’ 20-yard line. After some short runs by Unity Christian, a 7-yard touchdown run tied the game at 6. The Ranger defense held strong on the 2-point conversion attempt, forcing an incomplete pass with 46 seconds left in the first quarter.
The score remained knotted at 6 until late in the second quarter when a Unity Christian fumble set the Rangers up at the Crusaders’ 15-yard line. The dominant FHC offense took advantage of the excellent field position and gave the ball to Collin Grupe, who took it in for a score with 2:06 left in the first half. The Ranger offense stayed hot, converting on the 2-point conversion to give FHC a 14-6 lead. Unity Christian proved they weren’t going to give in easily by taking the kickoff for 60 yards, setting them up deep in Rangers territory with 1:55 left in the half. A one-yard rushing touchdown by the UC running back put them back in the game, and with their offense able to convert on the 2-point attempt, the game was tied at 14. The UC kickoff made a huge mistake, allowing Collin Grupe to return the kick, and he made them pay. Grupe received the kick and proceeded to juke out two Unity Christian players before taking another kickoff return for a touchdown that gave the Rangers a 20-14 lead. Even though the extra point was blocked again, the Rangers went into the locker room with high hopes for the next half of football.
The third quarter got off to a slow start, as both defenses held strong for almost 10 minutes. But with 44 seconds left in the third quarter, the Crusaders scored a short rushing touchdown after a long drive. The Rangers were able to force a fumble on the 2-point try, holding the score at 20 points each. Both defenses continued to play solidly throughout the fourth quarter until Unity Christian scored a clutch touchdown after another long drive with 2:06 left in the game. After a successful 2-point conversion, the Rangers were down 28-20. FHC got a chance for a game-tying drive with just around 2 minutes left, but the UC defense held strong, forcing a huge loss on an attempted end-around by WR Jack Davidson. FHC quarterback Lucas Casten ended up fumbling the ball at the Rangers’ 25-yard line with 1:03 left in the game. The Crusaders were able to kneel the clock out, handing the Rangers another disappointing loss.
When asked what the team could do better and what he could do better as a player, Collin Grupe replied, “We need to hold the lead and keep doing our assignments when we are tired, especially when it’s a dogfight.” Grupe added, “I just need to be a better leader.” Lineman Jack Valentino responded, “[The team] can do better by doing our own jobs and doing the right thing on and off the field.” Valentino said, “I can improve by watching film and learning from my mistakes.”
The Rangers will play again on September 26th against South Christian at home, hoping to improve their 0-3 record.
