Coming off the heels of a crushing defeat at the hands of Byron Center, the Forest Hills Central boys and girls bowling teams were starving for a nibble at victory. As destiny would have it, the girls team lost 30-0, while the boys team lost a rollercoaster of a match 27 to 13 to Northview, winning one baker game and dropping another by 60 pins. 

“Both teams are really trying to work hard, but we just need to keep working every day to get better,” head coach Terry Metzner said.

“We just need to keep working every day to get better” might sound monotonous at this point, but a few sweat puddles on the lanes can’t hurt either. In fact, this gritty mentality might be exactly what a team in a slump needs.

“Most of the bowlers did well individually, but we struggled as a team to score points. It shows that there is definitely some room for improvement, but it also gives us more encouragement for our next few matches to work even harder,” explained sophomore standout Peyton Price.

When Peyton learned that key contributors like senior David Whittaker and junior Nate Evans would be out for yesterday’s game, he patiently scoped out his opportunity to shine in the midst of chaos and went right after it as he sunk his fingers into his ten-pound bowling ball. Once FHC bowling called it a night, Peyton’s score read an impressive “181.” 

The girls, on the other hand, saw limited production out of their young corps. If it wasn’t for a superb outing from freshman Megan Hackerd, then who knows what would have gone down without the rookie bowler to cushion the blow. One strike led to another as Megan cranked out a solid 135 on the day. 

135s and 181s definitely leave a savory taste in your mouth; however, victories tend to taste a little bit sweeter. Terry Metzner and his Ranger bowlers have only one thing on their mind next Monday against East Grand Rapids: slash the losing streak at all costs.