FRUITPORT – Fruitport junior slot receiver Cody Nash was pretty tired and groggy on Saturday, which is completely understandable, because he was a very busy guy on the football field on Friday night.

Nash played the game of his life, at least so far. He not only scored all five of his team’s touchdowns on five electrifying plays, but he did it in several different ways.

He had three rushing touchdowns, a receiving score and a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown.

And Nash saved his very best efforts for the fourth quarter, after visiting Hamilton scored twice and had tied the game at 21-21.

The Trojans went ahead by three points with a field goal, then Nash broke loose for dramatic touchdown runs of 56 and 85 yards to seal the 37-21 victory for Fruitport, give the fans and students a win on Homecoming, and put an end to the Trojans’ frustrating four-game losing streak.

Nash said he and his teammates were very upset by tough losses to very good teams like Cadillac, Coopersville, Spring Lake and Grand Rapids West Catholic, and decided to dig deep and do whatever is necessary to salvage a good season.

“We were sick and tired of losing, and we wanted to prove to people that Fruitport is not a losing team,” said Nash, who finished with 186 rushing yards.

All of Nash’s big plays came at opportune times for the Trojans.

He opened the scoring in the first quarter by catching a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gavin Reames. He added another score in the quarter when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 30 yards, giving the Trojans a 14-0 lead.

“Our defensive end hit the running back, I was ready to get in and help with the tackle, then I saw the ball come loose, there was nobody around, so I just picked it up ad ran for my life,” said Nash, who added that it was the first scoop-and-score touchdown of his career. “That was amazing, especially getting two scores within the first couple of minutes.”

Nash added a 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, before Hamilton scored twice to make the score 21-21 at halftime.

That score held up until the fourth quarter, then the Trojans got the field goal, and Nash added his two biggest plays of the night to seal up the victory.

The 85-yard touchdown run put the cherry on top of Nash’s incredible night,

“I got hit for a loss at first, then I bounced around to the left side,” he said. “Me and Paschal Jolman were running up the right sideline together. I pointed for him to get the guy coming up in front of me, he executed that block, and then I just had one guy to beat.

“It would have been bad to lose in the fourth quarter. We were saying that we weren’t going to let that happen. We want to change things around and make the playoffs.”

Nash had his career night in front of his parents, Rob and Jessica Nash,  as well as an old friend, Hayden Wesley, who moved out of state years ago.

Nash had no idea he was at the game until it was all over.

“We were really good friends,” Nash said. “I played with him in little league, then he moved to Tennessee, probably about five years ago. It was a big surprise. I saw him in the stands after the game and immediately ran up there and said hello.”

Fruitport head coach Nate Smith was thrilled with Nash’s clutch performance, butwasn’t real surprised.

“This was kind of his breakout game,” the coach said. “He’s always been on the cusp of something like this. He’s an exciting player to watch. He can take it the distance any time he touches the ball.

“He is someone we’ve seen a complete change in this year. He’s really stepped up as far as leadership, and he really brings up the energy level at practice. He demands a lot of himself and others. He’s really grown so much as an athlete and a leader.

“He works his tail off in the weight room, he’s incredibly strong, he has tremendous speed, and when you add in the kind of drive he has, he’s just a special kid. When teams line up to play us, they need to know where No. 8 is. His yards per touch average is ridiculous.”

Both Nash and Smith know the losing streak could have had a negative impact, and the team could have given up on the season. But just the opposite occurred, they said.

“Guys could have given up, but instead they’ve been stepping up and working hard to get us more wins,” Nash said. “More guys have been helping other guys at practice, and there’s been rising energy in the locker room. There’s been more of a fun mentality, but we still have a lot of intensity at practice.”

The Trojans have three regular season games left, against Holland Christian (1-5)  next week, followed by Allendale (3-3) and undefeated Hudsonville Unity Christian. All will be challenging games, but because of the state’s new playoff point system, which rewards teams like Fruitport that play tough schedules, Smith said the Trojans could qualify for postseason play with a 5-4 or even a 4-5 record.

“We know we can play,”  Smith said. “We’ve had some injuries – we lost three or four starters last week – but this was one of our best games all around, the way the guys stepped up.

“There was a whole new energy this week. They know they still have a chance to make the playoffs, and every game is critical moving forward.”