FRUITPORT – The Fruitport Trojans have a reputation for explosive plays and putting big point totals on the scoreboard, and lots of the big plays have come from someone named Jolman.

Sometimes it’s senior running back Paschal Jolman, who leads the area with 1,247 yards rushing through seven games. Sometimes it’s his brother, senior quarterback Collin Jolman, who is having a breakout season with 1,005 yards passing and 621 yards rushing.

But neither of the Jolmans had their best games last Friday, and the Fruitport offense struggled a bit. The Trojans had four turnovers in the conference showdown with previously unbeaten Grand Rapids West Catholic and scored their lowest point total of the season.

That wasn’t enough to keep Fruitport down, however, because senior All-State slot receiver Cody Nash is still around and still  very dangerous.

Nash came through when it really mattered, with Fruitport trailing 13-12 and the outcome hanging in the balance.

He broke loose for a 66-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter, giving the Trojans the lead for good in what turned out to be a tight 28-20 victory.

Nash finished with 100 yards rushing and added five tackles on defense.

“We ran one of our option plays, Collin pitched me the ball, I saw the open lane and used my speed to my advantage,” Nash said about the big play. “It felt pretty good to get that touchdown.”

Nash said the Trojans were extra motivated to hang in and get the win, despite not playing their best game.

“We’re in the running for the conference title, and we knew we had to beat them to get there,” he said. “That’s what really pushed us as a team – and of course we would like to host a playoff game at Fruitport.”

Fruitport head coach Nate Smith said it’s nice having so many big play guys on offense, because there aren’t many defenses around that can shut down the Jolmans and Nash.

“I think it helps with Collin emerging as a dual threat,” he said. “Defenses try to take away Collin and Paschal, and we still have Cody, and he had a really big touchdown run on Friday.”

Nash, if you recall, had his big offensive breakout game last season against Hamilton, the team the Trojans will play on Friday in their continuing bid for a share of the O-K Blue conference title.

In the first quarter he had a 42-yard touchdown catch and a 30-yard fumble recovery and return for a score. In the second quarter he had a 16-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter he scored on gigantic runs of 56 and 85 yards to help the Trojans break a four-game losing streak.

Nash finished last season as the area’s leading receiver with 28 catches for 697 yards and seven touchdowns. He also totaled 329 rushing yards with four TDs and had 47 tackles on defense.

Nash has had one huge game so far this season, when he had an 83-yard touchdown run, a 75-yard TD catch and a five-yard touchdown reception in a 60-46 loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian.

He said the 75-yard TD catch, which came on a screen pass from Collin Jolman, was his favorite play of the year so far, even though it came in a loss.

“I had to get off blocks and go through some people to make that play,” he said.

Nash’s overall stats are comparable to last season. He is currently second in the area in receiving with 17 catches for 476 yards and five touchdowns. He’s rushed for 482 yards with two TDs and has 30 tackles on defense.

The best thing about Nash is that he always makes important contributions on one side of the ball or the other, whether he’s having a huge game or not

In Week 1 for instance, he ran the ball once and had three receptions, but led the team on defense with eight tackles.

He had a 15-yard touchdown catch against Grand Rapids Christian, a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown and an interception in a victory over Allendale, a touchdown run in a win over Coopersville, and a touchdown run in the big victory over rival Spring Lake.

As Coach Smith puts it, “Cody’s a player and he’s going to make plays.”

Nash admits that he prefers playing offense to defense, and that he gets pretty tired playing on both sides of the ball.

But he says he will always give a maximum effort, regardless of what he’s doing on the field.

“It’s my job to stay locked in and focused and get the job done,” he said. “I want to show the other guys that no matter what I’m doing, I’m doing my job.”