WHITEHALL — The Whitehall football team has waited since 2014 to hoist a trophy after a big playoff win.

After losing in the district finals in three of the last four seasons, the Vikings finally had their moment with a win over Fruitport in a Division 4 district title game on Friday night.

Whitehall overcame a slow start to put up another huge performance, beating the Trojans 51-26.

“I’m really proud of our guys right now,” Viking head coach Tony Sigmon said. “This group has had such a high standard the whole year and so many goals that they put in front of them.

“People asked us what statements look like and everything after the first couple of weeks, when we had a couple of really good games, but this is where we can start to make some statements. I think 11-0 and a district championship is a great place to build from.”

For Fruitport, the loss ends what has been a season to remember. The Trojans won eight games, their most since 2012, and earned a share of the O-K Blue conference championship.

“I’m really proud of our guys and the effort they gave tonight, and all season long,” said Fruitport head coach Nate Smith. “We overcame adversity all season long and accomplished things that I don’t think people expected us to do. We’ve got to build on it. I know our guys are going to be ready to do that.”

Smith said this year’s seniors poured their hearts into Fruitport football and have laid an important foundation for the program.

“They’re tremendous,” he said. “We challenged them all the time to give their heart to this program. When you do that, it hurts even more when you lose, but wins are that much greater. This senior class really did that. They gave their hearts to this program, to this community.”

Whitehall, now 11-0 on the season, advances to the regional round where they’ll take on Grand Rapids South Christian, also 11-0, in a matchup of the top two teams in Division 4. The Vikings and Sailors last played in the 2014 playoffs, which turned out to be a South Christian win in a regional final.

“We know that South Christian is a phenomenal football team and it’s going to take an absolutely best effort for us to be competitive with them,” Sigmon said. “Right now, I think that we’re playing as good as anybody and we have a shot. If you’re still in it, you’ve got a shot, and that’s where we’re at right now.”

Fruitport got on the board first Friday night on an 8-yard run by Cody Nash after a Whitehall turnover. The Trojans led 6-0 after the first quarter.

Whitehall’s first points came on a 27-yard field goal by Landon Howe with 11:53 left in the second quarter.

The flood gates opened for the Viking offense shortly after.

Whitehall scored three touchdowns in the second quarter on a pair of short runs by Jackson Cook and a 41-yard run by Kyle Stratton. The Vikings led 24-6 at halftime.

Fruitport forced a turnover on downs to open the second half, then scored on a 91-yard TD run by Paschal Jolman. A failed conversion left the score 24-12.

Whitehall responded with a 4-yard score by Stratton to make it 31-12.

On Fruitport’s next drive, Collin Jolman ran in an 8-yard score to make it 31-18 with 2:44 left in the third quarter, and that started a frenzied scoring sequence.

Following the Trojan TD, the next play from scrimmage was an 80-yard touchdown pass from Stratton to Trannon Aylor to make the score 38-18. On the ensuing kickoff, Cody Nash returned the kick 75 yards for a touchdown to pull Fruitport within 38-20. Then, on the next kickoff, Whitehall’s Nate Bolley got loose for an 81-yard TD return to push the lead to 45-26 with 1:55 left in the third.

Whitehall’s defense stifled any Fruitport comeback hopes in the fourth quarter with interceptions on three straight drives. Stratton capped the night’s scoring with a 13-yard run with 1:43 to play.

Stratton was 4-for-12 passing for 145 yards and rushed 13 times for 127 yards. Bolley led the Vikings with 163 rushing yards on 10 carries. Cook totaled 84 yards on the ground. Aylor had two receptions for 123 yards.

Defensively, Cook led the way with 6.5 tackles, followed by Everett Napier with six tackles and a sack. Aylor intercepted two passes and Ca’Mar Ready had one pick.

Paschal Jolman led Fruitport’s offense with 175 yards on 19 carries. He had three catches for 12 yards as well. Collin Jolman completed 7-of-15 passes for 30 total yards and rushed for 21 yards. Nash totaled 36 yards on five carries.

Payton Flores and Brock Dornbos both recovered fumbles for the Trojan defense while Collin Jolman had an interception.