FRUITPORT – It helps when your head coach is also the coach of a professional football team.
He can hook you up with great players who can give you some great tips.
Fruitport head coach Nate Smith is also the head coach of the West Michigan Ironmen indoor football team, and the team’s quarterback, veteran Alex Carder, is one of the best around.
Earlier this year, Carder spent time working with Fruitport senior quarterback Gavin Reames, and the results were pretty apparent on Thursday night.
Reames completed 7 of 13 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Trojans to an impressive 42-2 victory over Kenowa Hills in the season opener.
“I worked with him once a week for about 10-12 weeks,” said Reames, who is also a baseball pitcher, and added that Carder helped him make the transition from pitching to throwing like a QB again. “He’s a really good guy. He was big on getting my release point perfected, and helping me with my footwork. I’ve improved on that so much.”
Coach Smith said that the Reames he saw under center on Thursday was dramatically improved from the inexperienced quarterback who joined the varsity in 2019.
“His maturation has been incredible,” Smith said. “His competitive drive and ability to lead have increased. Just his entire demeanor has matured.
“He spent a lot of time working with Alex Carder on his mechanics, and his touch and accuracy are much improved, and that’s just going to continue to increase as the season goes on.”
Reames had a lot of luck throwing to two receivers on Thursday – Camden Farrell and Cody Nash. Farrell had four catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns while Nash had three catches for 108 yards and one touchdown, along with a rushing touchdown.
The quarterback said he has been playing football with Farrell, Nash and receiver Aiden Vela since they were little kids, so they have a natural connection on the field.
“I’ve been playing with them almost my whole life,” Reames said. “They are really fast. I just throw the ball and trust them to get under it and catch it.”
Smith said the longtime friends have worked very hard on the passing game.
“(Reames) knows how to throw to those guys,” the coach said. “All three of them have great connections with him. They have spent a lot of time practicing. Even when they are just hanging out, I think they throw the ball around.”
A lot of people were probably shocked to see the final score on Thursday, considering Fruitport struggled to a 2-5 record last season. But Smith and Reames said with an experienced roster back, they weren’t surprised to get a win out of the gate.
“I know what they are capable of,” Smith said. “Typically teams will have first-game jitters, but this group didn’t seem to have it at all. Everything just feels different this year. The guys as a group have matured, and the senior class knows what to expect.
“I’m watching film (of the game) right now, and I am very pleased with the way we played.”
Reames said the Week 1 victory was a fun confidence builder.
“It feels good to have that 1-0 record on the books right now,” the quarterback said. “I knew we would be better this year. We pretty much expected it.”
That doesn’t mean that Smith or Reames are overconfident about the rest of the season, particularly with a home game against Cadillac coming up this Thursday.
Cadillac was the Division 4 state runner-up last season, and will give Fruitport a big challenge.
“We have a big test in front of us, and the guys are real excited about that,” Smith said. “To take that next step, we’re going to have to be able to beat quality programs.”
“They are a very good team,” Reames added about Cadillac. “They had great success last year, and on film they look real physical. If we watch a lot of film this week, and lock in during practice, it will be a dog fight.”