FRUITPORT – The Fruitport defense made headlines in a positive way last week, and that has the Trojans extra pumped up about the rest of the season.
The Trojans have gotten a lot of attention all year, both for their explosive offense that puts points on the board by the dozens, and for their defense, which had been surrendering more than its share of points.
But last Friday against Coopersville, another team with a potent offense, the Fruitport defenders rose to the occasion, holding the Broncos to just two touchdowns in a 37-20 O-K Blue Conference victory.
Cody Nash led the D with eight tackles, Brock Dornbos added seven and Ricky Wiggins had five.
“We just got tired of the headlines,” Dornbos said. “There was a lot of talk about the defense, and it starts to get to you.”
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Fruitport coach Nate Smith said the coaching staff put an extra emphasis on defense last week, and it paid off.
“I got a little more involved with the coverage stuff, and the defensive coaches put a great plan together,” Smith said. “We changed the way we coached a bit during the week, making sure the players understood about alignments and the need to play fast. We told them to just react and play football, and I think the guys had a lot more fun.
“The kids felt really good about it after the game. There’s a level of belief now. A good chunk of the points we gave up earlier in the year were not hanging on the defense, but they were starting to feel that pressure. It was good for them to have a good game against a quality team.”
In the tough O-K Blue conference, of course, there’s little time to celebrate success, and that’s particularly true for the Trojans, because they visit Spring Lake on Friday for the annual “Battle of the Bayou.”
Fruitport comes into the game with a 3-2 record while Spring Lake is an uncharacteristic 1-4, but as everyone knows, records mean little when the two arch-rivals go head-to-head every year.
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Spring Lake has recent history on its side, having won the last four matchups, including last year when the Lakers escaped Pierce Field with a 35-32 victory.
Fruitport has the historical edge, with a 40-32 record in the series.
“It’s set up be a stereotypical, classic rivalry game,” Smith said. “Over the years the series has been pretty balanced, the kids get to know each other well, the communities are so close to each other, and it’s West Michigan, where football is so predominant.
“There’s a whole new level of intensity in that game. There’s just something about it. Both communities have a history with the game. We have players whose parents and grandparents played in that game.
“So many of the games have been close, coming down to a play here, or a call or a mistake there. That’s what you expect from a rivalry game.”
Obviously Smith and the coaching staff want to break the losing streak against the Lakers, but more than anything they want to win one for the players.
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“We know what it means to these kids,” Smith said. “You respect Spring Lake when they win, but it’s hard, because you know how it impacts our kids when they lose. We want to do it for them.”
Smith said he’s heard that Spring Lake has been hobbled by some injuries, but he thinks the Lakers will present a difficult challenge when they take the field on Friday.
He notes that Spring Lake is now coached by Cody Mallory, the former head coach at Cadillac whose team beat the Trojans twice last season.
The Lakers have several potent offensive weapons, including quarterback Reid Grimmer (24-for-47 passing for 355 yards and five touchdowns), running backs Alex Lee (241 yards) and Darrel Lawrence (195 yards) and receiver Jackson Lemmen (seven catches for 132 yards and four touchdowns).
“They have a quality coach and he’s going to have them dialed up and ready to go,” Smith said about the Lakers. “We can’t take them lightly at all.” 
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