FRUITPORT  – Gut-check games are the ones where a team has to dig extra deep and find a way to perform well, despite a flurry of injuries, setbacks and disappointments.

The Fruitport football team was very much in that spot going into last week’s game at Holland.

The Trojans had just come off an incredibly disappointing 31-30 loss to Godwin Heights, after squandering an 18-point lead. They led all the way to the final seconds, before the visiting Wolverines kicked a field goal that barely got over the crossbar to steal the win.

On top of that, Fruitport headed to Holland last Friday without the services of a whopping 11 starters, who were out of the lineup due to injuries or other reasons. That long worrisome list included featured running back Liam Campbell and star receiver/safety DayDay Williams.

Nobody would have been too surprised if the Trojans had flopped under those circumstances. But they did just the opposite, pulling together, playing one of their best games of the year, and posting a big 49-6 victory over the Dutch.

“In years past, if we had a bad game the week before, it would have stuck with us, but these guys didn’t want to have any of that,” said Fruitport head coach Nate Smith, whose team will finish the regular season with a big game at Hopkins on Friday. “I was super proud of the guys, super proud of the freshmen who stepped up, and very impressed with the way all of our guys supported each other.”

There were all sorts of less-than-familiar names on the final stat chart for the Trojans, led by junior speedster Alan Jackson, who has been starting all year on defense, but got a big opportunity on offense and made the most of it, with 119 yards rushing (including a 15 yard touchdown run) and a 54-yard TD catch.

Other lesser-known guys playing big roles included freshmen Jonnie Kempker and Emmitt Renauldo and junior Bradley Dekker, to name just a few.

“I mean, we started two freshmen at cornerback against a team that throws 80 percent of the time, and they weren’t even varsity players,” Coach Smith said. “They got called up from JV on Wednesday. We also had other guys playing new positions.

“One big thing is that we told the starters who could not play that it was their week to be coaches for the guys who were taking their place, and they were out there in their ears, helping them out and pointing out what they needed to do.

“That’s the stuff that we are really proud of.”

Winning record, maybe playoffs at stake

The win was very significant in several ways. It was Fruitport’s fourth victory of the year, which is one more than last season and represents continued progress for a program that went 0-9 in 2023.

It gave the Trojans a 4-4 record and a chance to finish above .500 for the first time since 2022. It also maintained the team’s chances of sneaking into the state playoffs for the first time since that year.

The Trojans are in Division 3, and 32 teams from around the state will qualify for the playoffs, based on the number of playoff points they accumulate.

Bay City John Glenn is currently the 32^nd and final team in the playoffs with 42.625 points. Bay City Western is 33^rd with 41.375, while Fruitport is 34^th with 40.875. Petoskey is right behind the Trojans at 40.125 points.

BC John Glenn plays Swartz Creek (2-6) on Friday while BC Western plays Bay City Central (1-7).

If the Trojans beat Hopkins, and both of the teams above them trip up, they could sneak in, but it’s far from a sure thing, as Coach Smith understands.

“We talked on Monday and the guys know that the playoffs are out of our hands in some ways,” he said. “We can’t control who’s going to win other games and the playoff points and stuff. But we can control how this season is going to taste at the end of the day. The guys want to go out with a winning record, and they are locked in and want to go play a really good game.”

Hopkins will post a tough test

There will be nothing easy about Friday’s game at Hopkins.

The Trojans will have a more complete lineup than they did against Holland, but will still be without five or six starters, including Campbell, who is out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

The good news in that respect is that the Trojans are deep at running back, with several guys who can pile up big yards, including senior Kalan Teeter, who rushed for 118 yards last week, along with Jackson and Josh Eppard.

Complicating things, however, is the fact that Hopkins is also 4-4 and fighting to stay alive in the playoff picture, in Division 5.

The Vikings have had kind of a strange season.

They started out with two wins and gave powerful Belding a serious fight in Week 3, only losing 8-7.

Then came two O-K Silver conference losses to Godwin Heights and Kelloggsville, two victories over Comstock Park and Holland, and finally a 21-7 non-conference loss to an always strong Reed City team last Friday.

“They run the football, they are very physical up front and very solid defensively,” Smith said about Hopkins, which beat Fruitport 27-12 last year. “In the games they lost, they had a few odd things go against them. I have a ton of respect for what Coach Francis does down there. It’s a great football school.

“It’s just going to come down to which team executes and makes the fewest mistakes. I think it’s going to be a good night for us.”