The Lady Rangers faced conference and district rival Forest Hills Northern Eastern in the Battle of the Hills last Tuesday night (October 8). It was a tough meet for FHC, as FHNE was a very evenly matched team, and there were many close swims, but the Lady Rangers pulled out a win 96.5-89.5.
Not only was this meet important because of the rivalry between the three schools, but it was also FHNE’s senior night and the best chance FHC had to beat the Birddawgs in 4 years. Let’s just say there was some extra motivation for the Rangers to win.
The meet started off with the traditional first event, the 200 medley relay. While FHNE drew the early lead by placing 1-2 and earning 12 total points, FHC managed to snag 3rd and earn 2 points.
In the 200 freestyle, Juniors Allison Meny, Mady Scarlato, and Senior Norah Hemsley competed. Meny, whose best event is arguably the 200, did what she does best and raced NE’s Natalie Barnes until the very end. Meny took first, Scarlato took 3rd, and Hemsley tied for 5th.
Similarly, in the 200 IM, the Rangers faced tough competition from the Birddawgs. Junior Maggie Holt and Freshmen Natalie Holt and Lola Lipke were up against some close competition from FHNE. Maggie Holt placed 2nd by a mere .57 of a second, Lipke placed 4th, and Natalie Holt paced 5th to give FHC 7 points combined.
In the last event before the diving break, the Rangers once again felt pressure from FHNE. Freshman phenom Ciana Fors, Sophomore Ellie Palmer, and Senior Kayla Quach all swam in the splash-and-dash.
Fors barely out-touched FHNE’s lead swimmer by .08 to get to the wall first. Palmer took 4th, and Quach rounded out the Rangers with a 5th-place finish. FHC swept the event with a combined 9 points to FHNE’s 7.
Leading into the diving break, FHC was down 36.5- 25.5 to FHNE, but the divers once again proved how crucial they are to the Rangers’ success at meets. Sophomores Mia Shaffer and Sydney Bresnahan placed 1-2 with scores of 200.35 and 186.30.
While the Rangers didn’t place first in the 100 free or 100 fly, they took the consecutive places which actually earned them more points.
Quach, Lipke, and Senior Nora Magers placed 2-4 and earned the Rangers 9 points to the Birddawgs’ 7 in the 100 fly. In the 100 free, Fors and Meny tacked on an additional 7 points after going 2-3.
FHC also found success in the 500 free and 200 free relay. While the Rangers placed 2nd, 4th, and 5th in the 500 to earn the team 7 points, they took 1st in the relay to earn 8 more points.
With the last three events looming, the scores were tight between FHC and FHNE. FHC had 80.5 points to FHNE’s 71.5. The Rangers once again took the lead and looked to finish the meet strongly.
In the 100 back, the Rangers showed their strength, with Palmer, Holt, and Magers placing 1st, 2nd, and 4th to earn 12 points for the Rangers. Consecutively, in the 100 breast, FHC earned 4 points after Junior Ava Mattson and Holt placed 3rd and 5th.
The outcome of the meet came down to the last event: the infamous 400 free relay. FHC’s score was 84.5 to FHNE’s 87.5. If FHC went 1-2, they would surely win. If they went 1st and 3rd, they would also win. All FHC had to do was not let the Birddawgs place 1-2. And they did.
The Rangers A and B relay teams took 1st and 2nd to secure the win for FHC. The first win against FHNE in 4 years. Final Score: FHC 96.5 and FHNE 89.5. A mere 7 points separated the teams in a clash of skill and grit.
