FRUITPORT – Fruitport’s Andrew Fielstra has a lot in common with Fruitport’s Andrew Fielstra.

They are both seniors, starting linebackers, running backs and team co-captains.

In case you wondered, yes, there are two Andrew Fielstras on the Fruitport football team, and they are not related at all.

One is Andrew B. Fielstra, known affectionately by his teammates as “Bruce” (after Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk), and Andrew J. Fielstra, known as “5-0” because he wore number 50 last year.

They both came up through the Fruitport school system and started at different elementary schools. They were united in the second grade when Andrew J. moved from Beach Elementary to Edgewood Elementary, where Andrew B. was already enrolled.

“I didn’t know about him, but they called him down to my classroom just so we could meet each other, because they thought it would be cool,” Andrew J. said.

They say that having the same name has caused a fair amount of confusion over the years in school, which is not surprising, since they had a lot of the same classes and teachers.

“In sixth grade social studies we sat next to each other, but the teacher ended up moving us becauses he couldn’t tell us apart,” Andrew J. said. “She had trouble keeping our names and grades separate.”

“I remember an English teacher saying, ‘You guys should never be in the same class together, because it creates mass confusion,’” Andrew B. said.

The two Andrews were more or less acquaintances through their first years of school, but became pretty good friends once they started playing football together around the fourth grade.

They had more than a name in common, and their football bond grew as the years passed and they both became key players on the Trojan roster.

Last season Andrew B. was fourth in the area with 58 tackles and earned honorable mention All-Conference honors in the O-K Blue. Andrew J. finished among the top 50 tacklers in the area with 34, which is remarkable considering he only started four games.

This season they a big part of the backbone of the Fruitport defense – two tough-as-nails linebackers that the coaches can count on to make big stops.

“They both play with grit and an edge, like they have something to prove,” said Fruitport head coach Nate Smith. “They’ve both been great all along. They are hard workers, they don’t bring any drama, and they both love to play football and love their teammates. You can see that when they play.”

While the two Andrews have a ton in common, they are also very different in fundamental ways, starting with their size.

Andrew B. – or Bruce – is a third-year varsity player and the bigger of the two at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds.

“He’s always been a tremendous athlete, and he continues to get better and better, particularly on the mental side of the game,” Coach Smith said. “His understanding of the game and the schemes is where he has really improved, and his leadership qualities have blossomed, as well.”

Smith said “Bruce” really exhibited that leadership at halftime of last Thursday’s season-opening game, when the Trojans were clinging to a 12-6 lead over a pesky Kenowa Hills squad.

“He stepped up and told everyone to calm down, let’s just get after it, and they did,” Smith said.

Fruitport won 32-20.

Andrew J. – or 5-0 – is much smaller at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds. He had to work extra hard to get a chance to crack the starting lineup, which happened at midseason last year when another linebacker was injured.

“5-0 has always been kind of scrappy and a little undersized, but we noticed last year that he just put his nose down and started working his butt off,” Coach Smith said. “Then when a linebacker went down, he stepped right in and had a tremendous second half of the season. Pound for pound he’s one of the strongest kids in the program, and he will hit anybody.”

Andrew J. admits that his smaller size has always posed challenges and drove him to work harder.

“I’ve been kind of pushed to the side my whole life because of my size, and I had a lot of ground to make up,” he said. “But it also works to my advantage because I’m quicker and harder to block.”

Regardless of size, the love of putting big hits on opponents is a passion that both Andrews have in common.

“It’s just that feeling of hitting someone, getting that crowd reaction, and getting your teammates pumped,” Andrew B. said.

“It’s nice knowing you put down the hit and they are feeling it,” Andrew J. added.

While they’ve both settled in as standout linebackers, neither Andrew is completely happy with the way the Fruitport defense has performed as a unit.

Last year the Trojans scored a ton of points on offense but gave up even more on defense. The Trojans allowed opponents to score at least 20 points in 7 of 10 games, and at least 40 points in three of those games.

That’s something the Fielstras want to change.

“Some of the games we let up too many points, and we knew we were better than that,” Andrew B. said. “This year we are tighter as a group and we communicate better. Things are going to be a lot better.”