EGELSTON TWP. – Corey Vanderputte is the type of great player that fans sometimes take for granted.
Of course the All-State senior running back is going to rush for at least 100 yards in most games. Of course he’s going to score at least a few touchdowns.
He’s been doing that at Oakridge for three years now, and it’s hardly breaking news when it happens.
But what Vanderputte did on Friday night, when his Eagles were in a scary battle with a determined North Muskegon squad, was definitely news.
[1]He scored four touchdowns and rushed for an amazing 265 yards on 32 carries. He thinks his rushing total was the second highest of his varsity career.
His biggest contributions came in the fourth quarter, with the Eagles’ hopes for a share of the West Michigan Conference title hanging in the balance.
North Muskegon led 27-25 early in the quarter when Vanderputte broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run with 11:43 left, putting Oakridge up 32-27.
The Eagles were still clinging to that lead with under a minute to play, and the Norse had driven into the Oakridge red zone, with a real chance to score the go-ahead (and probably the winning) touchdown.
Luckily for the visitors, Vanderputte had one more heroic trick left in his bag, this time on defense He stepped in front of North Muskegon pass, picked it off, ran a few yards and got out of bounds, preserving the Eagles’ tense five-point victory.
“(The intended receiver) actually burned me at first, and he had about three yards on me,” said Vanderputte, who admitted that he’s not terribly confident in defensive pass coverage. “I caught up to him, then I took a quick glance back at the quarterback and saw the ball was headed in my direction. I just jumped in front of the receiver and made a play on the ball. I ran it back to about the 40, then ran out of bounds, There were only about 40 seconds left in the game.
“It was pretty exciting, because we struggled to stop the pass all night.”
[2]As a senior standout, Vanderputte admits that he sometimes feels a personal responsibility to make the big plays when necessary, like in the fourth quarter on Friday.
“I’ve got a lot of great teammates – we have talent across the board – but being a three-year varsity starter, at certain points I know have to step up and help the team more,” he said. “This was one of those times.
“We knew that if we wanted to have any shot at the conference title, we had to pull this game out. We didn’t have a good first half, the third quarter was not the greatest, but then we put our feet down and battled, and we were able to get the win.”
Oakridge head coach Cary Harger, who has been through a ton of close, dramatic games in his career, said the exciting interception was a crucial play at a critical moment.
“They were moving the ball downfield with a couple of minutes to go, theen they were working the clock with less than a minute to go,” Harger said about the late Norse drive. “I was watching the ball, then I turned my head and Corey came out of nowhere, and he just stepped in front of the receiver and caught the ball. It was a very dramatic play, and a huge relief to have that happen.
“He had a monster game.”
Vanderputte is once again putting up the kind of numbers that will make him a repeat All-State selection. He currently has 774 rushing yards on 88 carries with 10 touchdowns on the season.
But one set of stats that get less attention are Vanderputte’s receiving numbers. He caught seven passes for 62 yards against North Muskegon, with a long catch of 48 yards, helping the Eagles maintain possession and move up and down the field.
[3]He’s starting to get more catches because Harger recently decided to start lining him up at wide receiver on a part-time basis, rather than his customary running back spot.
The idea is to use the senior’s speed and agility in more open-field situations, and spread defenses out, Harger said.
“It creates another threat out there,” Harger said. “It adds another dimension with his speed, and he’s a very good receiver. I think there was an adjustment period for him at first, but now I think he’s seeing the advantage it gives us.
“Now he can be out there making some plays in one-on-one coverage, instead of pounding the rock between the tackles every play. This will keep him healthier in the long run, and he’s less defended. He might draw some double coverage, but that will just open up opportunities for other guys.”
Vanderputte said he understands the move, and is enjoying the new challenge.
“It’s definitely new to me,” he said. “I don’t mind it. I like going out into space and opening up the field. I like catching the ball and running deep routes.”
The Eagles are 5-1 and are certain to make the playoffs for an impressive 17th straight season, yet they are in a bit of a frustrating situation in the conference race.
They impressed everyone with a big 32-19 win over preseason conference favorite Whitehall in Week 2, but then had to sit out the next week because their scheduled game against Mason County Central was cancelled.
[4]They returned in Week 4 against defending champion Montague, did not play well, and fell 33-7. .
That left Oakridge tied for second place with Whitehall, one game behind Montague. Now all the Eagles can do is win their last two league games, against Shelby and Ravenna, and hope Whitehall can beat Montague on Oct. 15, producing a three-way tie for the title.
Looking back, Vanderputte thinks the week off hurt the Eagles against Montague, but he knows there’s nothing to do but keep grinding and focus on the next game.
“Obviously Whitehall was the preseason favorite,” he said. “We beat them and that increased our confidence, then we did not play good against Montague. Now our fate is not in our hands. The conference is all in the hands of Whitehall.”
Regardless of how the conference race turns out, Vanderputte thinks his team has a good chance to finally make the very long playoff run that it’s been working toward for several years, before he graduates and heads off to play college football at a yet-to-be-determined school.
A big final test for the playoffs will come in Week 9, when the Eagles will meet up with a very good Muskegon Catholic squad in a non-league contest.
“We’ve got plenty of talent to do it,” Vanderputte said about the playoffs. “We’ve struggled a little bit. We just have to figure some things out and come together as a team.”