EGELSTON TOWNSHIP – The situation was the same at Oakridge just two short years ago.
All-Everything running back LeRoy Quinn was a senior, and fans worried about the future of the Eagles’ ground game.
But there was no reason to fear, because a sophomore named Corey Vanderputte was starting beside Quinn and learning the tricks of the trade.
Vanderputte turned into an All-Stater, of course, and now he’s a senior about to move on to college football.
But he also has a sophomore understudy – Trever Jones – who gave Eagles fans a glimpse of what the future may look like with his performance last Friday.
[1]Jones ran for 163 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries, leading Oakridge to a decisive 55-22 victory over Tri County in a Division 5 district championship game.
He also showed off his defensive skills, totaling 10 tackles, including five for a loss.
Now Vanderputte, Jones and the Eagles will face the monumental task of playing No. 1 ranked Grand Rapids Catholic on the road on Friday night in a regional championship game.
Regardless of what happens in that contest, Jones will be back next fall, and if he plays like he did last week, Oakridge will continue its tradition of having great running backs.
“It was pretty special,” Jones said about the performance. “I just kind of started off strong and we got the early lead. We came out strong and continued to play well.”
Jones wasted no time getting started, dashing for a 43-yard touchdown run just 16 seconds into the game.
“He definitely made a statement,” said Oakridge head coach Cary Harger. “He had a great night. He started out awesome with the first touchdown. He basically had an open hole at the line of scrimmage and ran through untouched.
[2]“It’s exciting looking ahead for him. Even just following him this year and seeing him to grow and mature has been exciting. We’re hopeful he’ll see some interest from the college level, because that’s the type of player he could be. We’ve seen glimpses of it and expect that’s where it could go. We hope his growth continues. We know he’s a hard worker.”
While Jones is still finding his path to becoming the Eagles’ featured back, he’s quickly learning from Vanderputte.
“It’s kind of like Corey had with Leroy,” Harger said about the unofficial running back mentoring program. “Corey learned from him, and now Corey gets to share his knowledge and experience with Trever. It helps put Trever in a great spot for his future.”
Jones says the bond he shares in the backfield with Vanderputte is a great asset.
“It’s pretty special,” said the sophomore, who’s totaled 617 yards and nine touchdowns on 59 carries this season. “I get to learn from him, and he teaches me, which helps make me a better running back.”
When the Eagles take the field on Friday night at Grand Rapids Catholic Central, they’ll be aiming for their first regional title since 2013. But it won’t be easy, because the Cougars have won two state titles in a row, and three in the last four seasons.
[3]They are 11-0 this season, and their offense has averaged more than 45 points per game.
“What they do, they do very well in all aspects,” Harger said about GRCC. “We want to put ourselves in the best possible position opposing them and try to slow them down.”
The Cougar offense may be keeping an eye out for Jones on defense, due to the monster game he had last week.
“He garnered a lot of attention,” Harger said about Jones, who plays both linebacker and defensive end. “Even as the game went on, they tried to slow him down or negate his rush. It was kind of a breakout game in terms of seeing what he’s capable of doing.”
Oakridge played at Grand Rapids Catholic last season in the Division 5 regionals and lost 58-7. It was a strange sort of game, because the playoffs had been postponed for weeks due to COVID, and teams only had a week to regroup and practice before playing.
“We learned how to handle adversity,” Harger said. “They have so much talent and an ability to score so quickly. We tried to keep our players heads in it, and told them we’re playing four quarters whether we were winning or losing. They represented the program with pride and hard work, like they would any other time.”
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