This past Friday, the freshman football team faced off against Grand Blanc at the newly-renovated Ranger Stadium. Led by head coach Anthony Sultini, the Rangers were able to overcome the odds and beat Grand Blanc, a seemingly unstoppable opponent.

So far this season, the freshman team has had some bright spots here and there but has also been held back by its lack of depth. With only 19 players on FHC’s roster, the matchup against Gland Blanc—and its roster of 43 players—was looking to be a reversion to their week one loss against Jenison.

Throughout the game, the defense had some trouble locking down the Grand Blanc running game. After starting strong in the first quarter, the defense began missing some tackles here and there. Luckily, the defense pulled together with the help of Seder Middaugh, who helped stuff the Grand Blanc Running game, and Ty Ryan, who helped the secondary hold strong against the passing game. In addition, a surprising start in the second quarter from Malik Thomas, a new transfer player from Arkansas, helped the defensive line come up clutch with multiple tackles for loss.

On the offensive side of the ball, a run-heavy offense led by quarterback Brady Osterhouse and running back Micah Meadow pulled the team ahead early, with the occasional short success in the passing game thanks to receiver Brendan Cargill.

“We studied film and worked hard all week against the JV team running Grand Blanc defense,” Brendan said.

The Rangers walked away with a 14-7 victory, with Micah Meadow scoring the only offensive touchdown for the Rangers and Orion Roskam scoring the second touchdown on a blocked punt.

Next week, FHC will take on Northview at Northview High School, and if it’s anything like the Grand Blanc game, the Rangers might just snag their second win of the season.

“We are taking this win as a stepping stone and keeping our momentum; we are focusing on our offensive line and focusing on what worked last week with our ground and pound,”  coach Sultini said.