FRUITPORT – It’s a really good sign when your team is full of very young, relatively inexperienced athletes – but still wins a lot.

That’s been the case for the Fruitport wrestling squad, which won its second straight Division 2 district championship last season with a roster full of underclassmen.

Now all of those young wrestlers are back and more experienced, and the Trojans have have several quality guys to the mix.

That means the Fruitport roster is packed full of talent, and very good results are expected this season.

“It will be an exciting season at Fruitport,” said head coach Chad Johnson, whose team will open the season on Wednesday at Hudsonville Unity Christian.

Perhaps the biggest sign that the program is thriving is the growing participation.

Last year the Trojans finished the season with around 20 wrestlers on the roster. This year they started preseason practice with 38, meaning there will be plenty of depth in every weight class, and Fruitport will be able to put together a junior varsity team to help younger athletes develop.

“I think it’s a testament to the success we’ve been having,” Johnson said. “Kids want to be a part of that. We have some weight classes that are four deep right now.”

The Trojans have a lot of wrestlers returning to the starting lineup from last year’s team. They have also added several talented transfer students with varsity experience.

On top of that, several freshmen with years of success at the lower levels will be joining the party this winter.

“We’re sitting pretty tough right now,” Coach Johnson said.

Senior Phillip Stone-Tyler (22-17 last season) returns after qualifying for regionals last year. He will wrestle in the 113 or 120 weight class.

Sophomore Zach Aardema (26-7 last season), who qualified for regionals as a freshman, will wrestle at 126 or 132.

“He was the first one in quite some time to qualify for regionals as a freshman,” Johnson said about Aardema. “He’s been working his tail off. We’re looking forward to seeing how he does this year.”

Junior Davis Johnson, a team captain, is back after posting a 26-16 record last season. He will wrestle in the 144-150 range.

Junior Blair Zimmer, who has been steadily improving and was 22-21 last season, will also wrestle at 144 or 150.

Junior Cooper Lengkeek, another team captain, returns after posting a 33-10 record and qualifying for regionals last season. He will be wrestling in the 157-165 range.

Junior Luke Westerlund, 19-10 last season, is also back and will compete at 190 or 215 pounds.

The lineup gets even deeper when you consider key additions, including junior Kalan Teeter (165 pounds) and sophomore Bryson Simila (132 pounds).

Senior Ethan Riggs (215 pounds) was a regional qualifier at Grand Haven and is expected to continue his success with the Trojans.

“He’s a great kid to have in the wrestling room,” Johnson said about Riggs. “He makes kids around him a little better. We’re excited to have him on the team this year. He’s a real hard worker.”

Juniors Carsen Crow (175 pounds) and Case Rosema (190) are transfers from Spring Lake who will also add experience and skill.

Two freshmen – Kayden Barnes (106) and Alex Aardema (138) – are both very promising after experiencing success at the middle school and club levels.

One issue for the Trojans over the past few years has been conference competition. As well as they did outside of the conference, they could only reach the middle of the pack in the O-K Blue, which is loaded with good teams.

This year Fruitport has switched to the O-K Silver, where there will still be come strong competition, but the Trojans believe they can compete for the top spot.

“Our goal is going to be to win the Silver,” Johnson said. “Belding usually has a solid program and Hopkins will be tough, but I think we can be pretty competitive.”