FRUITPORT – Ever since he learned last fall that he would probably be Fruitport’s starting quarterback this season, Bradon Dornbos has worked hard to earn the role.

So there was no way he was going to come out of the lineup halfway through a game, even with a few injuries.

Dornbos definitely took a few painful knocks in the first half of last week’s 64-28 loss to Holland Christian. He turned an ankle, leading to some swelling, and was sacked a few times, leading to some bruised ribs.

But when the third quarter rolled around, he was right back out there under center.

“He was in a tough spot, but he’s got a whole different kind of grit about him,” Fruitport head coach Nate Smith said about Dornbos. “He wants to prove he can lead this team. He was a wounded duck, but she stood in there and threw some great balls. I was really proud of his effort.”

By the end of the game, Dornbos had some passing numbers to be proud of.

He completed 20 of 27 throws for 211 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception. Both TD passes went to wide receiver Bobby Canfield, covering 25 and 36 yards, respectively.

It was Dornbos’ best performance of the season so far, and while the game ended in a loss, his continued development was a big bright spot for the Trojans.

Before last Friday, pass completions and passing yards had been works in progress for Dornbos.

He was 8-for-11 passing in Week 1 against Kenowa Hills, but only totaled 54 yards. He was 8-for-21 in Week 2 against Grand Rapids Christian for 148 yards, and 8-for-18 in Week 3 against Hamilton for 87 yards.

Dornbos was obviously much improved in that respect against Holland Christian last week, a sign that his accuracy is on the rise.

Even before that, however, he started to show an exciting knack for throwing big, dramatic touchdown passes, particularly to Canfield, a 6-foot-7 senior receiver.

In Week 2 against Grand Rapids Christian, he connected with Canfield on touchdown throws of 40 and 67 yards.

In Week 3 against Hamilton he had TD throws of 11 yards to Canfield and 25 yards to Kayden Beardsley.

Add in the two long touchdown throws to Canfield last Friday, and Fruitport definitely has a big play quarterback in the making.

“It’s so interesting – he’s just gotten better every week,” Smith said. “We identify areas where he needs to improve and he just gets better. There are so many things for a young quarterback to work on, and he just stays even keel and does it.”

Dornbos has the benefit of a long history of playing quarterback, going all the way back to his youth league days.

He took a different turn as a sophomore last season, playing varsity as a wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense, but stayed in practice by playing scout team quarterback during defensive drills.

Dornbos said he was told after the last game last season that he would likely be the guy to replace Collin Jolman, last year’s explosive senior quarterback who put up huge numbers for the Trojans – 1,358 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air and 860 yards with 18 scores on the ground.

Those were big shoes for Dornbos to fill, but he went to work immediately in the offseason, adjusting his diet to gain needed bulk and working extensively on weight training. Smith said he must have put on about 40 pounds since last season.

“I hit the weight room really hard, started eating a lot of food and putting on  a lot of weight,” Dornbos said. “I just felt like I was too small, too skinny, not strong enough to fill the role.”

Dornbos said his improvement since Week 1 has mostly been about becoming more comfortable with the pace of playing quarterback at the varsity level.

“When I looked back and watched the Kenowa Hills film, everything just seemed very rushed,” Dornbos said. “Compared to that first week, the game has just slowed down a lot more for me.

“Starting with 7 on 7’s this summer, every time I throw the football I think I just get better. One big thing is just having more and more reps with the receivers.”

Dornbos said the big touchdown passes “are a lot of fun, especially with a receiver like Bobby. I can put it in a spot and he just goes up and gets it.”

Watching Dornbos improve so rapidly is exciting for Smith, because he knows he will have an experienced and skilled quarterback by the time next season rolls around.

“I can’t imagine where he’s going to be a year from now,” the coach said. “He’s going to have a year of experience under his belt and it’s going to be exciting.”

Dornbos is excited about that prospect, too, but says he’s more concerned right now about getting the 0-4 Trojans on a better track in the second half of the season.

“I’m not giving up on this season,” he said. “I have really bonded with our senior class, and I’m going to do everything I can to help us put up a win or two for those guys.

“I think in a lot of games so far we were in a position to win, but we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties or things we could have fixed. I think we will definitely win a game within the next few weeks. We’re real hungry right now. I think we’re going to surprise some people.”