Heading into the Portage Invitational on Saturday, FHC’s main goal was to improve its times and compete against some of the best teams in the state. However, with crappy conditions, things did not go as planned.

“This was a tough course,” head coach Ryan Schipper admitted. “The temperature was hotter than our last few races.” 

The boys finished the race 22nd out of 38 teams. The leader of this race for the Rangers was senior Sam Yeager. Sam finished with a time of 16:44.8 and 60th overall. That time is just over 30 seconds from his best time. The boys had runners such as sophomore Parker Ludwig, senior Nathan Decker, and freshman place 114, 139, 151, respectively. The boys struggled overall, as some runners came close to their PR’s but didn’t record any.

“The team did not do amazing,” junior Ethan Krampe said. “We had a few injuries, so they held the team back a little.”

Although the boys struggled in the heat, the girls team found a bit more success, coming in 10th place out of 35 teams. Sophomore Mia Bateson was the first Lady Ranger to cross the finish line in 15th place overall. She ran for 18:49.4. 12 spots behind her were sophomore Clara James-Heer. Sophomore Peyton Ludwig placed in 66th place overall. Mia, Clara, and Peyton were the only FHC runners to place in the top 10. Overall, the girls cross country team had a solid performance. 

The next race for the cross country team will be the final OK White Jamboree of the season. The final jamboree will be held at Byron Center. The team is focusing on getting healthy after injured players have negatively impacted the performance of their teams. 

“We will be gearing up towards our conference championship race on the 20th,” coach Schipper said.