FRUITPORT – Evan LaGuire plays on both sides of the ball for the Fruitport football team, but prefers defense, because he loves the opportunity to chase down tackles.
That really showed earlier in the season, when LaGuire had some very big games from a statistical perspective, registering six tackles for three straight weeks against Big Rapids, Kelloggsville and Napoleon.
But then the numbers started to drop off. Since Week 4, LaGuire only has three tackles, including one game when he had none at all.
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That doesn’t mean he’s been any less effective, according to Fruitport head coach Nate Smith.
LaGuire did so well in those early games that opponents started putting two blockers on him. He isn’t happy with the way he’s handled the double-team situations, because he feels he should break out of more of them, but Smith definitely sees the value of what’s happening, because with two blockers busy on LaGuire, someone is not being blocked at all.
“It frees up our linebackers to roam and make tackles,” the coach said. “Evan puts the team first, and he isn’t one who is worried about his stats. He just wants to help the team any way he can.”
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LaGuire is a first-year Trojan, at least on game nights.
He was a starter for the Muskegon Catholic Central varsity as a sophomore, then transferred to Fruitport as a junior. That meant he had to sit out a season, according to Michigan High School Athletic Association rules.
LaGuire appealed and was hoping to play last year, but was denied, so he was forced to settle for practicing with the Trojans and helping in any way he could.
“I did feel like a member of the team,” he said. “I put on the jersey on game nights. I was a ball boy for a few games and ran stats for the last few. Over the course of the year I got to be pretty good friends with all of the guys, and the seniors really helped me get better at my craft. I wouldn’t say it was completely useless.”
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“I think being on the team last year, playing Monday through Thursday, then having to watch on Friday, was a real challenge for him,” Smith said. “He took that challenge incredibly well. When I look back I’m reminded of conversations we had as a coaching staff about how hard he was working. He was an incredible asset as a scout player.”
LaGuire was more than ready to get back in the games this fall, and immediately became a starter on both the offensive and defensive lines. He will never forget the feeling of actually seeing live action again, in the season opener back in late August against Spring Lake.
“I missed it so much,” he said. “I was a little nervous going in, to see if my game speed was still up, but I don’t think I lost much, because of all of those practices last year. I was so ready to go play. It was awesome.”
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LaGuire has made his presence felt on both offense and defense.
He has helped the Trojan offense produce many more points this year – 229 with one game to go, compared to 187 all of last season. He has also contributed to a huge defensive improvement, with the Trojans only giving up 188 points so far this year, compared to 263 in 2024.
LaGuire has been in the middle of the ups-and-downs of the season – two tough losses to start the year, then three wins in a row, followed by another two-game losing streak – and finally a really, really big 45-6 win at Holland last Friday.
On paper, things did not look promising for the Trojans going into the Holland game, because 11 starters were out of the lineup due to injuries or other circumstances. That included featured running back Liam Campbell and star receiver/safety DayDay Williams.
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But LaGuire and the other starters who could still play, along with a bunch of fired up replacement players, pulled together and posted a very impressive and important victory over the Dutch.
“We had a couple of young guys step up and fill some spots perfectly,” LaGuire said. “We were probably the most locked in as we’ve been all year before a game, so I did feel pretty confident.
“We knew we still had a game to play, and we knew we needed to win to have a chance at the playoffs. I could tell that everyone was kind of on the same page. The game was important and we all stepped up.”
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LaGuire has been having the time of his life playing football again, but said the season has gone by really fast, and suddenly he’s facing the reality of being away from the sport again, perhaps for good.
That’s why he’s so eager to help the Trojans, now 4-4, wrap up the regular season with a victory at Hopkins on Friday, which would keep their postseason playoff hopes alive.
“This is probably the most important game of the season,” LaGuire said. “My mentality going in will be to go all out, and leave everything I can on the field. It would be great to bring this team back to the playoffs again. It would mean a lot, to the entire school.”
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