FRUITPORT – Perhaps Rob Newton has passed on some of that 2001 magic to the current Fruitport football players, because the Trojans have been playing championship-style football in recent weeks.

Newton, some may recall, was a defensive end and punter for one of the greatest Fruitport football teams to ever take the field,

The 2001 Trojans, under legendary head coach Steve Wilson, won their first 13 games before falling to Farmington Hills Harrison in the state finals.

Newton, a senior on that team, obviously moved on with his life after graduation, but still followed the program and kept in touch with former teammates and coaches.

He also got to know current head coach Nate Smith in recent years, they became friends, and Smith convinced him to come back this season to coach the defensive linemen.

For Newton, it’s been an exciting chance to relive a great part of his youth – particularly the winning part.

The Trojans, currently 6-2, are one of the most successful Fruitport squads since that 2001 team. After a so-so 2-2 start, they have ripped off four straight victories, and a win on Friday over Holland Christian would give Fruitport a share of its first O-K Blue conference championship.

After that will be the challenge of the playoffs, and Newton can’t wait.

“I love it,” said Newton, whose wife Jill is a teacher in the Fruitport district. “I played 20-some years ago, I’m an old man with two kids now, and I sort of forget what it felt like. Friday nights are special.”

Newton thinks the current Trojans are a special team with the potential to do a lot of great things before their season is over.

“They look good,” Newton said. “I played with Marcus Langlois, one of the best running backs in Fruitport history, and I would say Paschal Jolman is right up there with him, if not a little better.

“The offense is phenomenal, our defense keeps it clean, and all-around it’s an extraordinary team. They have a chance to do very well. If they want it, I think it’s there for them.”

Does that mean he thinks the Trojans are good enough to make it to the state finals, like his team did all those years ago?

“Sure,” he said. “To make it to that final game, you need a little luck and you need to stay healthy. The perfect storm is required. We’re just taking it one week at a time.”

A perfect storm hit back in 2001, when the Trojans rolled through the regular season with a 9-0 record and were never really challenged, outscoring opponents 388-54.

Their playoff run started out a little dicey, with a tight 18-12 win over Ogemaw Heights, and they fought through a nail-biting 21-18 win over East Lansing in the state semifinals.

Their season ended with a 28-6 loss to Harrison in the Division 3 state finals at the old Pontiac Silverdome.

“That team is in the Fruitport Hall of Fame,” Newton said. “It was only the third (regular season) undefeated team in Fruitport history. We hosted two playoff games that year. I don’t think Fruitport has hosted a playoff game since we played Cadillac at home 21 years ago.”

Coach Wilson said Newton was a great defensive end on that team. He said he wasn’t very big for a D lineman, but he made up for it by playing with a ton of heart.

“He was fun to coach,” Wilson said. “He played with that intensity. He was not the biggest hammer in the toolbox, but he made up for it with hard work and energy.”

Wilson also recalls Newton as a bit of a disciplinary challenge.

“Rob was very coachable, but not always the best kid behavior-wise,” Wilson said. “He gave me reasons to criticize him sometimes. But he was the kind of kid you could chew out, then go pat him on the helmet a few minutes later and he would laugh.

“It was more of a case of him being a rambunctious kid. You couldn’t help but like him.”

Wilson remembers Newton having a close bond with defensive coordinator Larry Rueger, who tragically passed away in 2012 from kidney failure.

“He had a lot of love for Coach Rueger,” Wilson said. “Larry was the type of guy who would chew you out, and you would hate him one minute and love him the next. I think Rob wants to adopt that style of coaching.”

Wilson gets to talk a lot of Fruitport football with Newton these days, because the two of them work together as sales representatives at Source One Digital.

“He’s actually my mentor,” Wilson said about Newton, who was working at the company when Wilson joined after retiring from coaching. “He’s a sales rep for bigger clients, and if I’m having a bad day or a problem with a project, I can sit and talk to him.

“The conversation always evolves back to coaching, and how much fun he’s having this year. Part of it is the success that Fruitport is having, but it’s also just the fact that he’s coaching. I don’t care if the team was 6-2 or 2-6, he would have the same energy and would be having fun, just because he’s around kids and making a difference.

“Rob has the kind of personality that will make him a good coach. For me it’s a huge source of pride to know one of mine is having a big influence on the program. It’s kind of nice to have that link.”

Newton and Fruitport’s other defensive coaches have had their challenges this season. While the Trojans’ high-flying offense has put tons of points on the board, the defense was sometimes having trouble stopping opponents earlier in the year. That was pretty visible in a 60-46 loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian.

“It was just a matter of getting the boys to settle down,” Newton said. “They were over-pursuing and coming in too hot. We were doing it to ourselves.

“We made a few personnel changes. It was matter of getting the right players in the right spots and finding that perfect blend, and we’ve found it in the last three games.”

Newton said he’s also tried to bring a little levity to the team and remind the players that it’s OK to have fun – in the right measure and at the right times.

“Earlier in the year these guys seemed so tight, so serious,” he said. “I thought we had to loosen them up and relax them a bit. You play better when you have fun. Friday night lights are fun. It’s OK to ease up a bit.”