FRUITPORT – Now the Fruitport Trojans get their chance to prove that they are among the elite high school football teams in West Michigan.
The Trojans have had a terrific season by any measure, winning a share of the O-K Blue conference championship and their opening playoff game last week.
But Fruitport has two losses on its record. They both came early in the season against two quality teams – Grand Rapids Christian and Hudsonville Unity Christian – but they are permanent marks of the team’s record, and the skeptics have taken note.
The good news is that the Trojans have a terrific opportunity to gain a ton of respect on Friday when they travel to play undefeated Whitehall, the No. 1 ranked Division 4 team in the state, in a district championship game.
[1]A victory would give Fruitport its first district title since 2001.
Fruitport head coach Nate Smith knows that his team has not been mentioned in the same conversation with teams like Whitehall, and that doesn’t bother him.
He said there’s only one way to earn that type of respect, and that’s to go out and earn it.
“We have two losses and people look at those things,” Smith said. “We’ve turned the corner since those losses, and we’re a much more mature team now, but we don’t take (the underdog status) as disrespect.
“We made our bed and we’re good. If we want to get noticed we’ve got to keep winning games. If we do that on Friday night people will start talking about us.”
[2]One challenge last week for the Fruitport coaches was keeping the players from looking past Ludington, their first-round playoff opponent, to a possible matchup with Whitehall.
The Trojans took care of business with a 54-28 win, their first playoff victory since 2006.
Ludington led 7-0 and 14-8 in the first quarter, but then the Trojans took control by scoring 30 unanswered points.
Paschal Jolman led the Trojans with 154 rushing yards on 10 carries with three touchdowns. Quarterback Collin Jolman was 7-for-11 passing for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 60 yards on five carries and two scores.
Bobby Canfield caught two passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns, while Paschal Jolman had three receptions for 42 yards.
The Trojans were paced defensively by Brock Dornbos and Kayden Beardsley with seven and six tackles, respectively.
[3]“I thought our guys played pretty well,” Coach Smith said. “We had a little adversity early on. I thought we played a little excited in the first quarter. Our nervous energy was up, but once we settled in we played a pretty good game.
“Our guys worked for that. They wanted to have a home playoff game, and to get the win meant a lot to them.”
Now the topic of Whitehall is front and center for the Trojans, and the game should be a great one.
The Vikings are 10-0, champions of the West Michigan Conference Lakes Division, and have outscored opponents 458-96.
They are led by amazing junior quarterback Kyle Stratton, who has passed for 1,362 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 822 yards with another 14 TDs.
Stratton has several favorite targets through the air, including Trannon Aylor (583 yards receiving, 11 touchdowns), Camden Thompson (323 yards receiving, 4 touchdowns) and Nate Bolley (252 yards receiving, 5 touchdowns). The Vikings also have several dangerous running backs, including Jackson Cook, who has rushed for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns.
[4]“They are well deserving (of the No. 1 state ranking),” Smith said about Whitehall. “They are a heck of a football team, all the way across the board. They are big up front, they have a great quarterback, great running backs and great receivers, and defensively they are very strong.
“I think their defense has been a little underappreciated. I think they give up an average of like 9 or 10 points a game. Their offense is obviously explosive, but I think a lot of what they do is set up by their defense.”
Fruitport is pretty explosive in its own right. The Trojans, now 8-2, have outscored their opponents 427-287.
Fruitport is led by its incredible senior running back, Paschal Jolman, who leads the area with 2,035 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has also caught 21 passes for 407 yards and five touchdowns.
Collin Jolman has passed for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for 839 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Slot receiver Cody Nash has caught 19 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 560 yards and two touchowns. Andrew B. Fielstra has rushed for 495 yards and two TDs and Nash Cooper has caught 10 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown.
[5]“I think we match up pretty well,” Smith said. “Whitehall has great athletes all over the field, and so do we. Now it’s time for us to step up to the challenge.”
Smith is very happy with his team’s mental approach headed into the game. While the Trojans are obviously excited, they are handling their preparations in a very businesslike manner, he said.
“This is an interesting group,” the coach said about his team. “They never get too high or too low. They were locked in this week during three straight days of practice. They’re obviously excited. This is the opportunity they’ve dreamed of.
“They are really good at focusing on themselves and ignoring the outside noise. Great teams are driven by the challenge of being the best they can be, and they aren’t districted by outside noise.”
[6]Smith has said all season that the Trojans have yet to play their best game, and he said Friday would be a great time for that to happen, whether it results in a victory or the end of the season.
“At this point we’re going to play quality teams from here on out,” the coach said. “We told our guys that it doesn’t really matter, we will be seeing good teams every week, and this week it just happens to be the No. 1 ranked team in the state.
“We talked about playing our best game, and if the scoreboard is in our favor at the end, that’s great. We want to be able to walk off and say that we gave it everything we had. That’s really what our goal is.”
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