WHITEHALL – When you’re among a new group of teammates – particularly older ones who have already paid their dues – often the first sign of acceptance is when you’re assigned a nickname.

For Whitehall sophomore quarterback Kyle Stratton, the nickname “Sweetness” was given to him early in the season by his senior teammates.

That was a definite signal that the elders of the team approved of the job he was doing after beating out senior Brodie Fogus for the starting QB position during preseason drills.

“It felt good,” Stratton said. “You have to find that chemistry. After they started calling me that, it felt good to be accepted. I feel so much closer to everyone, and I like it a lot.”

Head coach Tony Sigmon said he noticed a difference in Stratton after the nickname was adopted.

“They call him ‘Sweetness’ because of how he can scramble and keep a play alive,” said Sigmon, whose team will visit Cadillac on Friday night in a Division 4 district championship game. “I think he had to win over the older guys, and that was a sign that he had.”

Stratton certainly put on a sweet performance last Friday when Whitehall opened the Division 4 playoffs with a 40-20 victory over Sparta.

He led the Vikings in rushing with 177 yards on 21 carries, with touchdown runs of 28 and three yards. He also had a huge passing game, completing 7 of 11 throws for 117 yards and two touchdowns – one on a 31-yard pass to Fogus and one on a 32-yard pass to Nate Bolley.

“I was nervous,” said Stratton about taking the field in the playoffs for the first time. “I didn’t want the season to be over for us or the seniors. The atmosphere was so fun.”

Stratton’s big game was an extension of the multiple skills he’s shown off throughout his inaugural varsity season.

The ability to scoot with his feet has been a huge weapon for the Vikings all season.  Stratton has totaled 595 yards and 10 touchdowns on 107 carries.

“It’s a lot of fun for me,” said Stratton about his running ability. “I like making plays when I can. We’ve started to have more designed runs for me, and we’re really opening up the playbook now that I’m used to it. But I have to give props to my linemen, because they’re the reason I get what I do.”

Stratton has also shown off a powerful and accurate arm, throwing for 998 yards and 15 touchdowns with only three interceptions.

“I don’t know if there’s a huge difference in my arm (from previous seasons), but I’m reading situations a little better now, and we have so much talent that the guys just get open and I find them,” he said.

One comforting point for the young quarterback is the amazing number of skilled teammates lined up around him. With players like Alec Pruett (the area’s leading rusher) and Fogus and Bolley (both among the top 20 receivers in the area), Stratton knows he never has to go it alone when it comes to making big plays.

He also knows opposing defenses have to worry about his talented teammates, giving him more time and space to be creative with his feet and arm.

“The weapons we have on offense are crazy,” he said. “You can’t key in on one guy. The chemistry took a bit, but I feel like we’ve gotten there. We’re so close and everything is just clicking for us right now.”

Stratton said he got a good taste of what playoff football would be like when the Vikings beat rival Montague 34-14 in a Week 8 showdown, and earned a share of the West Michigan Conference championship in the process.

“Montague felt the same way as the game last week,” he said. “With all the implications, everything is just on that next level and you have to play your best.”

The Vikings will be facing a big challenge this Friday against Cadillac, an 8-2 squad that advanced all the way to the state finals last season.

Whitehall will depend on its young quarterback to continue his advanced play as he learns about playoff pressure on the fly.

“The thing he really does well is not giving up on plays,” Sigmon said. “Some of the biggest issues we created for Sparta were plays coming from his third checkdown, or a broken play that he kept alive. It’s probably the biggest factor to our success.”