FRUITPORT – They say an ugly loss can really throw a team off its game.

But that might not be the case for the Fruitport football squad, because the Trojans know all about ugly losses.

It was true last season when they went 0-9 and lost just about every game by a lot of points.

It was true in the first few weeks of this season, when they lost to Spring Lake 40-6 and Big Rapids 41-14.

That’s when the Trojans finally demonstrated the ability to bounce back, beating Comstock Park 30-27 in Week 3 and Muskegon Catholic 35-17 in Week 4.

So last Friday’s sobering 58-7 loss to a powerful Belding squad shouldn’t have much impact on the players, according to Fruitport head coach Nate Smith.

The Trojans (2-3 overall, 1-1 conference) have learned a lot over the past two years, and one big lesson was how to move on, according to Smith.

“Our message right after the game was, let’s forget about this right now and focus on Godwin Heights,” said Smith, whose team will visit 1-3 Godwin Heights in another O-K Silver conference game on Friday. “And that’s what we were focused on by the time we got back to the school.

“The guys know that was a great football team. They were bigger and faster. It was eye-opening, but it didn’t break our spirit in any way. We’ve had great practices this week. Monday was probably the best Monday we’ve had.”

Smith said he knew the team was processing the situation well at halftime on Friday, when the Trojans trailed 46-0.

Fruitport was outscored 12-7 in the final two quarters. The Trojans got on the scoreboard on the opening possession of the third quarter with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Brady Hansen to DayDay Williams.

“Our halftime was really good, considering where we were at,” Smith said. “We didn’t have answers for what they were able to do, but our kids were still able to say, ‘Let’s go play a better second half,’ and they did.”

One good reason for the Trojans to keep their heads ups is the upcoming schedule.

In the last four games of the regular season, Fruitport will play three O-K Silver opponents with a combined 3-11 record – Godwin Heights (1-3), Holland (2-3) and Kelloggsville (0-5).

The toughest test will probably come next week, when Hopkins (currently 4-1) will visit Fruitport.

A good run in the last four games – at least three wins – could put the Trojans into the discussion for a possible Division 2 playoff berth, depending on a whole lot of variables, of course.

“We’re coming in with the mindset to give everything we’ve got over the last four weeks and see where the chips fall,” Smith said.

Before the Trojans get ahead of themselves, however, they cannot look past Godwin Heights, which is clearly a struggling team, but also a team that will pass a lot and poses a real threat, according to Smith.

The Wolverines lost their first three games of the season to Mason County Central (16-14), Kent City (22-8) and Hopkins (35-14) before beating Comstock Park in Week 4, 35-18.

Godwin Heights had an open date on its schedule and did not play last week.

“They are big play on offense,” Smith said. “Their offense will sputter and sputter, then score a big play touchdown. They are an exciting team to watch. It will be a challenge for our defense to play disciplined all night long. If we can hold those big plays to just being big gains instead of touchdowns, we should be in a good spot.”