FRUITPORT – Eager Fruitport football fans will be excited to hear one thing that new head coach John Shipley has to say:
“We want to play blue-collar, hard-nosed football, like back in Coach Wilson’s days.”
Shipley is referring to the great era under legendary Trojan head coach Steve Wilson, who posted a 148-79 record over 23 seasons, led the team to the state finals in 2001 and guided Fruitport into the state playoffs 13 times.
That sounds great to the Fruitport faithful, who have not experienced a winning season or a playoff berth since 2022.
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[2]Shipley understands how they feel, but he’s quick to point out that some patience will probably be required.
He notes that the Trojans are still rather inexperienced this season, with only four starters back on offense and two back on defense.
There is also a lot of youth, with 12 juniors and eight sophomores on the 29-player roster.
“I know a lot of people are excited to win, but I remind them that it takes work,” said Shipley, whose team will open the season by hosting Hopkins on Thursday night. “There is a process to this. We’re just excited to get these guys rolling.”
‘Not driven by wins or losses’
Shipley comes to Fruitport after serving as a head high school coach for four years in Colorado, then spending the past two as the offensive coordinator at Reeths-Puffer.
He said he’s very happy with his staff and his players and the way things have been going in team workouts.
“Things are going well,” he said. “We are just teaching them the little things that go into being successful each day, and we’re taking it one day at a time.”
Shipley knows that the Trojans have some skilled players capable of having big seasons, particularly in the offensive backfield. He also believes his team is capable of winning its share of games.
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“I think this team has the ability to surprise some people,” he said.
But Shipley is not making any promises when it comes to wins or losses, and said he does not judge success or failure that way.
“We are not driven by wins or losses,” he said. “We are focused on helping these kids someday become better husbands, better fathers and better men. I think we have some terrific young kids in this group who have really bright futures, and are starting to understand the core values of what high school football is about.
“We are building this thing the right way. I know a lot of people are eager for wins, but that’s not my main focus. In my coaching career my teams have been 19-18 overall, but the memories we’ve created and the impact we’ve had on the kids is way more important.”
When it comes to improvement on the field – which could indeed lead to wins – Shipley said the Trojans are following a process solely focused on daily improvement.
“All summer it’s been about what we’re doing today to make us better tomorrow,” he said. “We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves.
“For us, it’s about falling back on the work we’ve put in, and falling back on being true to the process. We are process-driven over outcome-driven. We’re about our core values – toughness, growth and sacrifice – and focusing on the things we’ve been teaching as a staff, to help give them confidence to play disciplined, fundamental football.”
No Battle of the Bayou this year
Shipley and his staff are taking over a team that went 4-5 last season, which was one more victory than the year before.
The Trojans started out with two one-sided losses to Spring Lake and Big Rapids, then rebounded and won three straight against Kelloggsville, Napoleon and Comstock Park.
They struggled again in Weeks 6 and 7, falling to Belding and Godwin Heights, before beating Holland in Week 8.
They could have probably snuck into the playoffs, but lost a 12-7 heartbreaker to Hopkins in the final game of the season.
Some things will be different this year, starting with the loss of Fruitport’s heated rivalry game, the annual “Battle of the Bayou” against Spr-5ing Lake, which always drew huge crowds and got the players fired up to win “The Paddle.”
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[6]There was no room left on the schedule for the game, because the O-K Silver conference, which Fruitport competes in, went from seven football teams to nine.
Calvin Christian and NorthPointe Christian, two league members who were playing eight-man football, switched back to 11-man, taking up two spots on the schedule and knocking out Spring Lake.
“I think any time you lose a rivalry, with the tradition and history and all of that, it’s definitely disappointing, but my message to (the players) is that you approach every game the same, as far as preparation,” Shipley said. “We have eight conference games, and there are a lot of opportunities within the conference.”
That doesn’t mean the Trojans will be looking ahead on the conference schedule, however.
“We are not talking about anything other than Hopkins right now, and what we are doing on a daily basis,” Shipley said. “Our focus is on being 1-0 each week. If we continue to buy into it that way, the byproduct will take care of itself.”
Good QB, strong running attack
The Trojans will be in good hands in their offensive backfield, starting with the return of senior quarterback Brady Hanson, who has been playing the position since the middle of his sophomore season.
Hanson had a good season last year, completing 42 of 65 passes for 738 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Trojans will also have a deep and talented running game, featuring seniors Josh Eppard and Alan Jackson and junior Liam Campbell, all of whom have had big games 95 in the past.
Eppard is more of a downhill style of runner, Jackson is a speedster and Campbell does a little bit of everything – blocking, receiving and running the ball.
“Just the different running styles we have back there opens us up a little bit,” Shipley said.
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[8]The receiving corps will be less experienced. It will include senior Mason DeVries, who did not start on offense last year, and sophomores Johnny Kempker, Owen Doctor and Jayce Hanson.
Kempker and Doctor had a lot of playing time with the varsity last season, at various positions.
The receivers coach is former Fruitport quarterback Gavin Reames, who went on to play college football at Hope College.
“He’s done a great job of connecting with those guys,” Shipley said about Reames. “They still have work to do, but I am very proud of their growth.”
The offensive line will have some experience, with the return of senior Ashten Kemp and sophomore Bryson Cena, who both started last season. Senior Dylan Avery and junior Colton Smith also return after seeing some playing time last year, and junior Mason Armstrong moves up from the JV to play center.
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[10]“The line kind of defines our whole program – a mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores,” Shipley said. “They are getting there. Their coach is doing a great job with them. We are trying to get them ramped up physically for a tough Week 1 opponent.”
Three players who are likely to start on the defensive line are Smith, Cena and junior Lelend Brauer.
The list of main linebackers includes Jackson, Eppard, Kemp and sophomore Leeland Johnson.
In the secondary, Kempker and Doctor will play cornerback, with help from sophomore Elijah Barry, while Brady Hanson and DeVries will be safeties.
Senior Brylon Houston, a transfer student from Indiana, will play some cornerback and safety.
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