FRUITPORT – Fruitport’s Bobby Canfield had the tools to be a headline-grabbing receiver last season, but was operating on a crowded stage.
Playing with explosive offensive teammates like running back Paschal Jolman, quarterback Collin Jolman and wideout Cody Nash, Canfield settled for being a great blocker on offense and a great linebacker on defense.
The cool part is that he was perfectly happy in that role.
He just loved getting the chance to play varsity football, particularly for an exciting Fruitport team that won a share of a conference championship and made the state playoffs.
“I just want to play football games,” he said. “If I could just spend my time blocking for Paschal again, I would do it again. He had a really big year. I didn’t really care about not getting the ball that much. Last year there was no need to throw the ball that much, because Paschal had a lot of big runs, and when we did throw, Cody was really explosive, probably the fastest kid I’ve seen.”
[1]Fruitport is facing a much different reality this fall, with the Jolman brothers, Nash and several other talented seniors lost to graduation.
That means a new set of skill position players are stepping up, including Canfield, and he gave a great sample of what he can do in last week’s game against Grand Rapids Christian.
After catching nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns last season, Canfield put on a show last Thursday, hauling in seven receptions for 144 yards, including two exciting touchdown catches covering 40 yards in the second quarter and 67 in the fourth.
While he feels no need to be a hero, Canfield admitted it was fun to make big plays and find the end zone.
“It was pretty exciting,” said Canfield, who started to show his potential last season with two TD catches in a playoff game against Ludington. “On the first one I felt a guy on my back after I caught it, then I felt him fall off, and the next thing I know I was celebrating in the end zone.”
[2]He said his second touchdown catch, the 67-yarder, came after fooling the defense.
Canfield faked a short 10-yard route, stopped and started again, and found himself open to catch the throw.
“The cornerback came up and slipped, and (quarterback Bradon Dornbos) got rocked as he threw the ball, but it was a perfect throw,” he said. “I have never had a touchdown that long in my life!”
Fruitport head coach Nate Smith was impressed with Canfield’s big game, to say the least.
“He was able to isolate himself and put himself in great situations,” Smith said. “He has people finally taking notice of who he is.”
[3]At 6-foot-7 and 189 pounds, Canfield has a natural physical gift that any receiver would love to have.
Even in tight coverage, that kind of height allows him to jump and beat defenders to the ball before it descends to their level.
“That is such an advantage,” Canfield admitted. “It makes it so much easier to have that height. It makes it harder to play defense on me. I’m just gifted that way, I guess.”
He said his height came very suddenly over the past few years, and it took some time for him to grow into his lanky frame, learn how to use it and develop crucial speed.
“In seventh grade I was like 5-foot-6, in eighth grade I was like six feet, and by my freshman year I was 6-4,” he said. “It was definitely a little weird. I actually had a lot of leg pain from my growth. It was a little awkward.
[4]“When I was a freshman my coach used to say I looked like a baby deer trying to figure out how to use his legs, but I’ve definitely gotten faster. This year I think I’m the fastest I’ve ever been.”
Last week Canfield used his height, speed and chemistry with Dornbos to have a career-best game.
The Dornbos-Canfield connection will probably result in many more big plays this season because the two of them started developing it before summer practice even started.
“We were out on the field every Sunday working out and getting our timing down perfectly,” Canfield said. “In seven-on-seven (summer scrimmages) we really started getting our chemistry down.”
While the Trojans are off to a disappointing 0-2 start, their passing game should be a strength going forward, with Dornbos throwing to both Canfield and speedy sophomore Day Day Williams.
[5]That prospect sounds very appealing to Coach Smith, who thinks Canfield’s physical gifts and technical skills will make him difficult to cover all season.
“He’s got a lot more speed than it looks like,” Smith said. “Sometimes it doesn’t seem like he’s moving very fast. He’s not explosive between zero and 10 yards, but when he gets moving he’s definitely moving. He’s also very good at changing direction, and with his length he can extend his hands and get the ball that way.”
Smith has always believed that Canfield would shine when his opportunity came around.
“He’s a dude,” the coach said. “He loves the game of football. He has a very high football IQ. He knows everything about the opponent we’re going to play. And he’s always been a hard worker. When you have passion and a great work ethic, great things are going to happen.
“He’s always been tall and has been growing into his body, but you could tell what kind of player he was going to be all the way back in the eighth grade.” 
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