SPRING LAKE – Any casual fan who watched Friday’s Spring Lake-Coopersville football game might be surprised to learn that Alex Lee has not been the Lakers’ featured ball carrier this season.

Until recently, he wasn’t even the second string tailback.

That doesn’t mean Lee is not a talented athlete. He was the featured back every year he played football since he was small, until he reached varsity. And he’s been one of the Lakers’ top defensive weapons all season from his linebacker position, while also starting as the H-back or wingback on offense.

But his role increased dramatically on Sept. 24, when the Lakers’ first and second string running backs went down with injuries in the same game. Christian Folkert, the No. 1 back, went down with an ankle injury and Brody Lightfoot, the No. 2, went down with a season-ending ACL injury.

That left Lee to take over the running back duties in the second half against Hamilton, even though he hasn’t played that position, or even practiced there, this season.

He responded by scoring three touchdowns and gaining more than 200 yards in the second half alone, to lead the Lakers to a 41-21 victory.

“I just remember the coach coming up to me and telling me what I had to do, and I was like ‘All right, I can do that,’” Lee said about the Sept. 24 game. “But I was for sure nervous. I hadn’t even taken running back reps in practice this season, but I did know the plays.”

In Friday night’s tight 27-20 victory over Coopersville, Lee had a huge game on both sides of the ball, rushing for 179 yards and four touchdowns, and leading the team with six tackles while snagging two interceptions.

He scored his touchdowns on a 33-yard run in the second quarter, a 40-yard burst in the third quarter, and a pair of 4-yard scoring runs in the fourth to help the Lakers nail down the come-from-behind  win.

His two interceptions came in the first half, when Coopersville was driving in Laker territory.

The victory was very significant, because the Lakers were coming off their first loss of the season (to undefeated Hudsonville Unity Christian) the week before, and were looking for a big rebound while trying to remain in the O-K Blue conference title race.

“It was very exciting to come back the way we did and win,” Lee said. “I really wasn’t expecting to get the ball that much this year, with Christian and Brody both being seniors. I just had to kind of step up for the team.

“We knew we couldn’t let that loss (to Unity Christian) change how we play. There was no way we could let that one loss affect the rest of our season. We all had a flame under our butts to come back and get a win.”

Lee said one big thrill after the game was getting texts of congratulations from both of his parents – Grant and Sue Lee – while he was still in the locker room.

“They were at the game and they were both super excited for me,” he said. “I was getting texts from both of them. That was the best feeling in the world.”

Spring Lake Coach Dan Start knows his team is blessed to have so much depth in the offensive backfield. After all, most teams don’t have someone like Lee waiting in the wings when injuries occur.

“He’s always been good, but we were using him differently (on offense), as a wing back and H-back, and he was predominantly going to be a big time player on defense this season,” said Start, whose team is now 6-1. “But with Brody and Christian getting hurt, he was moved into that role, and we knew he could do it.

“At halftime at Hamilton, I said ‘Hey Alex we need you to do this, we’ll talk you through it,’ and he said OK and did good – like 260 yards in the second half.

“He’s such a great kid and a hard worker. He’s the only junior captain on the team, just because of who he is and what he means to our program.”

Folkert, who has been on the mend from his ankle injury, got a few carries in the Coopersville game, and is close to being back to full strength, according to Start.

With Folkert and Lee both healthy, Start said he plans on rotating them at tailback, so one will always be fresh.

The Lakers will visit Grand Rapids West Catholic on Friday in a key conference battle, then will finish the regular season a week later at home against Allendale.

“I love that idea,” Lee said about rotating with Folkert. “With me and Christian being 50-50, we will both be close to 100 percent on defense.”