Season Recap: Forest Hills Central

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Forest Hills Central Rangers just had one of the most brilliant seasons in program history. Not only did they win the difficult OK-White, but they ran the table all the way up to the State Championship, winning as the underdogs multiple times in the playoffs. Although they fell short in the title game, the journey that led to Ford Field was fantastic. This article is about that journey. I will be recapping their schedule, highlighting a few standouts, and looking at the road ahead. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2022 Schedule </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>29-14 W vs. Jenison</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>42-0 W vs. Portage Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>21-13 W vs. Byron Center</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>In a very anticipated OK-White matchup, The Rangers come out on top. They would develop into a much better team as the season went on!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>31-7 W vs. East Grand Rapids</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>38-3 W vs. Northview</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>14-7 W vs. Lowell</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Another battle of two great teams, but FHC proves they can win close games.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>36-0 W vs. Greenville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>30-7 W vs. GR Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>32-0 W vs. Forest Hills Northern</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>This capped off a perfect regular season where they outscored their opponents 273-51!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Playoffs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>32-6 W vs. Reeths-Puffer</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>33-21 W vs. Mona Shores</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tremendous upset win against a powerhouse program! Once FHC won this game, they were starting to gain respect as contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>21-17 W vs. East Lansing</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>20-17 W vs. Dexter</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everybody picked Dexter to win, especially with Osterhouse out. In a snowstorm, Mason McDonald showed out! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>52-13 L vs. De La Salle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FHC ran into a brick wall against the Pilots. Although they were outmatched, they earned the #2 ranking in division 2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Standout Athletes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QB | Kaden McDonald | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To come in during the playoffs and perform the way he did is spectacular. The grit this kid showed in the ladder half of the year is sensational, and he's set up nicely to take the starting role in 2023. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QB | Justin Osterhouse | 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without Osterhouse, FHC would not have made it to the state title, and they may not have won the OK-White. His leadership all season was spectacular, and had improved throughout the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DB/WR | [player_tooltip player_id='251945' first='Ty' last='Hudkins'] | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ty locks down the secondary, takes away the deep ball, is a force against the run, and has grown into a great WR. I've been consistently impressed by his performances this season, and looking forward to seeing his development this offseason! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LB | [player_tooltip player_id='300623' first='Raymond' last='Cargill'] | 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cargill was one of FHCs best defensive pieces and grew into a stud All-State type of player. He never tried to do too much, and he did his job extremely well. I'm proud of how he performed and grew throughout the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DL | Crandall Quinn | 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quinn really came on late in the year and garnered a lot of attention. He performed very well agaisnt some quality offensive linemen, and had a few big TFLs this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RB | [player_tooltip player_id='253230' first='JT' last='Hartman'] | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hartman has been a high-riser for a few years now. I watched his game against Grand Blanc in 2021 where he had a bit of a standout performance, and I know he had some great games this season. He'll be coming back as one of FHC's top performers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Looking Ahead </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FHC is set to have a lot of returners in 2023, and they'll be in great position to win the OK-White again, and be a force in D2. It's notable that some of the better teams in D2 have a lot more graduating seniors than FHC does, so it's not crazy to think The Rangers could be back next season! Of course, time will tell, but FHC remains in excellent position for another incredible season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->