JV and freshman football combine to shut out Grand Rapids Christian 35-0

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Joe Murdock, Sports Reporter

Sophomore Mason McDonald ran the show in JV’s 35-0 win over Grand Rapids Christian on Thursday night. McDonald accounted for three rushing touchdowns as the starting quarterback. Unfortunately Grand Rapids Christian does not have a freshman football team, so as a result, the freshmen Rangers suited up with the sophomores. They were even given the opportunity to compete at the JV level in the second half of this contest. 

“I think our team came out with a lot of energy,” said Mason. “We executed extremely well in all areas of the game, which helped us pull out the 35-0 victory.”

The Rangers opted to keep the ball on the ground for the majority of the game. McDonald only attempted a couple of pass plays. Instead, he kept the ball and slipped through the defensive line of Grand Rapids Christian at ease for healthy gains of yardage.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rangers swarmed the Eagles on every snap. The JV defense has been playing lights out recently. Sophomore David Galloway attacked every play, resulting in countless tackles last night. Sophomore linebacker Nolan Hartl often found himself in the middle of a dog pile wrestling with the offensive ball carrier. One of Hartl’s aggressive tackles was made right in front of his own bench, causing his teammates to fire up. 

“We played very well tonight on defense,” said Nolan. “The Eagles were rarely able to advance the ball past the line of scrimmage. It was cool to be able to shut out a team.”

Head coach Anthony Sultini put in the young guns to close out the game for the entirety of the second half. They did not disappoint. The freshmen proved that they could hang with the Eagles JV team and outplayed them. Freshman Quarterback Max Holser even contributed to the scoreboard with a touchdown of his own. Coach Sultini is quick to credit the young men for stepping up

“This is a little glimpse of what could be their junior and senior years,” Sultini stated. “We went out there with the mindset that we were going to do this together. JV took care of business and allowed our freshmen to get in there, so we can definitely put a ‘W’ in both columns.”

The future is looking bright for the Forest Hills Central football program. The Rangers are playing very well at all three levels. The JV team is excelling on the field and has not won a game by less than 21 points all season. The freshmen team is 2-2-1 on the year, with three games left.

The boys have three more games to close out the season. Next week is Forest Hills Northern, followed by Byron Center and East Grand Rapids. If all goes as planned for the Rangers, they will have a brilliant chance to cap off an undefeated season. On the other hand, the freshman will go back to regular scheduling against the same opponents for the remainder of the season and have an opportunity to round out the year on a high note.