SPRING LAKE — After a tightly contested first half, it looked like the annual Battle of the Bayou game between Fruitport and Spring Lake might have another exciting ending in 2022.

The Trojans, however, had other ideas after the break.

Fruitport outscored their rivals 19-0 after halftime to seal a 33-6 win on Spring Lake’s home field. The win for Fruitport snaps a four-game losing streak against Spring Lake that date back to 2018.

“It means so much to our guys,” Fruitport coach Nate Smith said about beating Spring Lake. “There were a lot of alumni guys here that played the last four or five years that laid the foundation for this group. It just means a lot. I’m so excited, so proud of our players and I’m happy for them.”

Paschal Jolman looks for running room behind a block from Cody Nash. Photo/Mitchell Boatman

The Fruitport defense, which had its share of struggles in the early weeks of the season, stepped up big time. Spring Lake mustered just one scoring drive, and the Trojan defense scored a touchdown of its own and forced a safety.

“I’m really, really proud of our defense tonight,” Smith said. “They did a hell of a job.”

The defensive touchdown came early in the second half when the score was still close. Spring Lake had the ball in Fruitport territory on its first possession after the break, trailing 14-6.

The Lakers ran the ball up the middle, then suddenly Fruitport defensive lineman Payton Flores emerged from a crowd of players with the football and sprinted downfield for a 70-yard score to put the Trojans up 20-6.

“The guys came up, held (the runner) up and I grabbed the ball from him,” Flores said. “I thought (the refs) were going to call it down because I ran into someone, but they didn’t stop it, so I kept running. I’m just thinking ‘I need to score.’”

Jackson Lemmen of Spring Lake attempts to haul in a pass while Cody Nash of Fruitport defends. Photo/Mitchell Boatman

Spring Lake didn’t score, or drive that deep into Fruitport territory, for the rest of the game.

The win gives Fruitport back-to-back victories for the first time this season. The Trojans are now 4-2 on the year and 3-1 in the O-K Blue. They’ll play Grand Rapids West Catholic in a major test next week.

Spring Lake is now 1-5 on the season and 0-4 in the conference. The Lakers play Hamilton next week.

“I can’t fault our kids’ effort in this game, but when it came down to it, we broke down in some key spots,” Spring Lake coach Cody Mallory said. “We have to be more consistent in practice, that’s all there is to it. We’re still learning to practice and practice efficiently. That bleeds over to the game. We had fundamental breakdowns.

“We’re big on playing for each other, on trying to lift each other up. We just need to keep doing that.”

A group of Fruitport defenders tackle a Spring Lake ball carrier. Photo/Mitchell Boatman

The first points of the game came on a safety in the first quarter. After an interception by Jackson Lemmen on defense, the Lakers started their first drive at their own 1-yard-line. Fruitport’s defense forced a punt three plays later, and the snap soared out of the end zone for two points.

Following the ensuing free kick, Fruitport marched down the field for a touchdown. Cody Nash ran in the score from 10 yards out, putting the Trojans ahead 8-0 with four minutes left in the first.

Spring Lake scored its lone points in the second quarter on a 37-yard pass from Reid Grimmer to Derrick Paggeot. The snap was fumbled on the PAT, leaving the score 8-6.

Fruitport’s Paschal Jolman ran the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown, but a holding penalty negated the score. But the Trojans made up for it by marching down the field and scoring on a 26-yard pass from Collin Jolman to Paschal Jolman, making the score 14-6 with 35 seconds left in the first half.

Bryce Collins runs the ball for Spring Lake in Friday’s game against Fruitport. Photo/Mitchell Boatman

The Trojans extended the lead to 20-6 early in the third quarter on the strip and score by Flores. Later in the third, Paschal Jolman scored a 16-yard touchdown after hauling in a swing pass from Collin Jolman.

Fruitport’s Andrew B. Fielstra had the lone score of the fourth quarter on a 7-yard run, bringing the final score to 33-6.

Paschal Jolman led Fruitport’s offense with 120 rushing yards and 73 receiving yards. Collin Jolman completed 9 of 16 passes for 143 yards and ran for 56 yards. Cody Nash had 55 yards rushing.

Kayden Beardsly led Fruitport with six tackles while Ricky Wiggins had five. Wiggins and Andrew B. Fielstra both had a sack.

Alex Lee ran for 77 yards to lead the Lakers. Grimmer had 73 passing yards. Lemmen and Jack Duggins both had interceptions on defense.