Speedy junior Jorge Burgos-Yack has been a huge, high-scoring asset on Fruitport’s offense.
(Photo courtesy of LocalSportsJournal.com)
By Tom Kendra
LocalSportsJournal.com
The hardest thing for Dan Hazekamp is trying to single out individual players on his Fruitport soccer team.
“The truth is, what we have here in Fruitport are a bunch of blue-collar guys that go out and play for each other and sacrifice for each other,” explained Hazekamp, whose team wrapped up the outright Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title and finished the regular season with an undefeated record of 17-0-1.
“We have 24 great individuals. I’m more proud of that than any record.”
Nowhere was that blue-collar mentality more apparent than on the Trojans’ defensive line.
Fruitport, who finished with an undefeated regular season and ranked No. 1, had a string of nine straight games without surrendering a goal and yielded a meager 0.44 per game.
The final line of defense is senior keeper Logan Werschem, whose instincts and experience gave the team confidence in pressure situations.
He would be the first to tell you that his defenders excel at limiting scoring chances, making his job much easier. Isaiah Packard, Braxton Ward and Sam Krueger are all seniors and returning defensive starters, along with junior Nathaniel Cribley-Cotto – who has used his 6-foot-2 size to fill the shoes of departed all-stater and four-year starter Brady Brown.
“We carry a lot of pride back there,” said Packard, who hopes to play soccer next year at Muskegon Community College and pursue a career in welding. “We don’t let balls past us very often. Nate is the new guy and he’s done great, but otherwise, it’s basically a two-year starting backline.”
Last year, Werschem and the Trojans defense set a school record with 15 shutouts, including 13 in a row before a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to eventual Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian in a Regional Final.
This year, the Trojans had 12 shutouts and dreamed of getting at least four more wins to earn a coveted spot on the soccer record board which hangs at the Ken Erny Memorial Soccer Field. Unfortunately, the squad could not continue its perfect season and fell in the regional finals to eventual state-runner-up, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.
“I love playing with those guys,” said Ward, who plans to play college baseball next year. “We have so much chemistry on our backline that we are able to play as one unit.”
Fruitport’s defense has been so good that opponents are often forced to gamble and commit additional resources on offense, opening up counter opportunities for speedy junior Jorge Burgos-Yack (19 goals), 6-5 senior Isaac “Big Country” VanderMolen (16 goals) and senior midfielder Grade Anspach (11 assists).
That is exactly what happened at the end of Fruitport’s tight win over Grandville Calvin Christian in the O-K Silver Tournament title game.
With Fruitport clinging to a 1-0 lead into the final minute, the Squires pulled their keeper and put on the pressure. Werschem responded with a big save and then got the ball out quickly to a streaking Burgos-Yack, who guided a shot into an empty net with 13 seconds remaining.
The Trojans combined for a 38-4-4 record over the past two seasons, with 27 shutouts. Two of those four losses in 2023 were to eventual state champions – Hudsonville Unity Christian (Division 3) and Grand Rapids Christian (Division 2).
“Our practices are super intense, sometimes more than the games,” said Packard. “Our second in line is just as good as our first, so there’s really not a big drop-off. We have 24 guys, so we run hard 11s at practice.”
While shutouts in a season would be a good school record to have, this year’s team – which consists of seven seniors, 13 juniors, two sophomores and two foreign-exchange students – is focused on a more prestigious record: most wins in a season.
The Trojans won 20 games in 2008, and their 2024 team tied that top mark again after posting a 20-1-1 overall record that included a 3-1 post-season record. Fruitport has now reached the Regional Finals five times, but will still have to dream of getting to that next step of winning a regional title.
In the Division 2 district opener, Fruitport faced bitter rival Spring Lake, which had provided the only blemish on the Trojans’ record with a 1-1 tie on Sept. 28. The Trojans posted a 2-1 win over the Lakers to advance into the final. It faced another rival, Reeths-Puffer, in the District Final and registered a convincing 4-1 win.
“We talk all the time about the thin margins between winning and losing in the tournament, and how tiny details make all the difference,” said Hazekamp, a 2003 Fruitport graduate who coaches with his brother Steve. “We’ve embraced the expectations, and we’re not running from anything anymore.
“We have some guys who are hungry to get back to that point we reached last year – and then try to get a little more.”
Fruitport continued its postseason run with a 4-2 win over Marquette in a game all the way up north in Gaylord. The final game of the season was a heartbreaking, 2-1 OT shootout loss to GR Forest Hills Northern in the regional finals.
The gut-wrenching loss for the Trojans didn’t stop Hazekamp from being excited about what this group of kids accomplished in 2024.
“I’m really proud of my guys, we talked about playing with no regrets, we’ve been talking like that the last few weeks, so when it ends we can be content,” said Hazekamp.
The Trojans definitely walked away from 2024’s undefeated regular season, and stinging regional final loss, knowing they put all they could on the line.
“The one thing people say all of the time, and I think they’re trying to be complimentary about our team, is: ‘Your guys worked so hard, they’re very athletic,’ but that’s the expectation we roll with, that’s what we do,” said Hazekamp. “They do those things unquestioned and are very coachable. They’re also pretty good soccer players, too.”
No doubt, the Trojans walk away from 2024 with a distinct undefeated regular season which was incredibly hard to do competing in the OK Silver.
The Trojans will remember a gritty player like Anspach and, of course, VanderMolen - whose fit stature at 6-5 was an intimidating physical presence for other teams.
“He (Vandermolen) will do whatever we ask him to do,” said Hazekamp. “He’s grown in the last three years and has garnered a lot of attention, that senior class is just a special group.
“In the moment (of a tough loss), you’re thinking about those seniors and will look back and think this was a really special group for a good tradition of soccer in West Michigan. These guys tied our program’s win mark.”
In the end, Fruitport’s seniors accomplished incredible feats, including 27 shutouts in two seasons. 15 shutouts in 2023 and 12 in 2024. The senior-led squad gave up just 26 goals in 46 games.
Those are numbers any coach and player will carry with them proudly throughout their lives. and are very coachable. They’re also pretty good soccer players too.”
No doubt the Trojans walk away from 2024 with a distinct undefeated regular season which was incredibly hard to do competing in the OK Silver.
“They held on in a dynamic offense that won the OK Silver in a loaded conference,” said Hazekamp. “Our guys gave them everything they could handle.”
The Trojans will remember a gritty player like Anspah, and VanderMolen whose fit stature at 6-5 resembles a near perfect specimen.
“He (Vandermolen) will do whatever we ask him to do,” said Hazekamp. “He’s grown in the last three years and has garnered a lot of attention, that senior class is just a special group.
“In the moment (of a tough loss), you’re thinking about those seniors and will look back and think this was a really special group for a good tradition of soccer in west Michigan,” said Hazeckamp. “These guys tied our program’s win mark.”
In the end, Fruitport’s seniors accomplished incredible feats including 27 shutouts in two seasons. 15 shutouts in 2023 and 12 in 2024. The senior led sqad gave up just 26 goals in 46 games.
These are numbers any coach and player will carry with them throughout their lives.
LocalSportsJournal.com
The hardest thing for Dan Hazekamp is trying to single out individual players on his Fruitport soccer team.
“The truth is, what we have here in Fruitport are a bunch of blue-collar guys that go out and play for each other and sacrifice for each other,” explained Hazekamp, whose team wrapped up the outright Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title and finished the regular season with an undefeated record of 17-0-1.
“We have 24 great individuals. I’m more proud of that than any record.”
Nowhere was that blue-collar mentality more apparent than on the Trojans’ defensive line.
Fruitport, who finished with an undefeated regular season and ranked No. 1, had a string of nine straight games without surrendering a goal and yielded a meager 0.44 per game.
The final line of defense is senior keeper Logan Werschem, whose instincts and experience gave the team confidence in pressure situations.
He would be the first to tell you that his defenders excel at limiting scoring chances, making his job much easier. Isaiah Packard, Braxton Ward and Sam Krueger are all seniors and returning defensive starters, along with junior Nathaniel Cribley-Cotto – who has used his 6-foot-2 size to fill the shoes of departed all-stater and four-year starter Brady Brown.
“We carry a lot of pride back there,” said Packard, who hopes to play soccer next year at Muskegon Community College and pursue a career in welding. “We don’t let balls past us very often. Nate is the new guy and he’s done great, but otherwise, it’s basically a two-year starting backline.”
Last year, Werschem and the Trojans defense set a school record with 15 shutouts, including 13 in a row before a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to eventual Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian in a Regional Final.
This year, the Trojans had 12 shutouts and dreamed of getting at least four more wins to earn a coveted spot on the soccer record board which hangs at the Ken Erny Memorial Soccer Field. Unfortunately, the squad could not continue its perfect season and fell in the regional finals to eventual state-runner-up, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.
“I love playing with those guys,” said Ward, who plans to play college baseball next year. “We have so much chemistry on our backline that we are able to play as one unit.”
Fruitport’s defense has been so good that opponents are often forced to gamble and commit additional resources on offense, opening up counter opportunities for speedy junior Jorge Burgos-Yack (19 goals), 6-5 senior Isaac “Big Country” VanderMolen (16 goals) and senior midfielder Grade Anspach (11 assists).
That is exactly what happened at the end of Fruitport’s tight win over Grandville Calvin Christian in the O-K Silver Tournament title game.
With Fruitport clinging to a 1-0 lead into the final minute, the Squires pulled their keeper and put on the pressure. Werschem responded with a big save and then got the ball out quickly to a streaking Burgos-Yack, who guided a shot into an empty net with 13 seconds remaining.
The Trojans combined for a 38-4-4 record over the past two seasons, with 27 shutouts. Two of those four losses in 2023 were to eventual state champions – Hudsonville Unity Christian (Division 3) and Grand Rapids Christian (Division 2).
“Our practices are super intense, sometimes more than the games,” said Packard. “Our second in line is just as good as our first, so there’s really not a big drop-off. We have 24 guys, so we run hard 11s at practice.”
While shutouts in a season would be a good school record to have, this year’s team – which consists of seven seniors, 13 juniors, two sophomores and two foreign-exchange students – is focused on a more prestigious record: most wins in a season.
The Trojans won 20 games in 2008, and their 2024 team tied that top mark again after posting a 20-1-1 overall record that included a 3-1 post-season record. Fruitport has now reached the Regional Finals five times, but will still have to dream of getting to that next step of winning a regional title.
In the Division 2 district opener, Fruitport faced bitter rival Spring Lake, which had provided the only blemish on the Trojans’ record with a 1-1 tie on Sept. 28. The Trojans posted a 2-1 win over the Lakers to advance into the final. It faced another rival, Reeths-Puffer, in the District Final and registered a convincing 4-1 win.
“We talk all the time about the thin margins between winning and losing in the tournament, and how tiny details make all the difference,” said Hazekamp, a 2003 Fruitport graduate who coaches with his brother Steve. “We’ve embraced the expectations, and we’re not running from anything anymore.
“We have some guys who are hungry to get back to that point we reached last year – and then try to get a little more.”
Fruitport continued its postseason run with a 4-2 win over Marquette in a game all the way up north in Gaylord. The final game of the season was a heartbreaking, 2-1 OT shootout loss to GR Forest Hills Northern in the regional finals.
The gut-wrenching loss for the Trojans didn’t stop Hazekamp from being excited about what this group of kids accomplished in 2024.
“I’m really proud of my guys, we talked about playing with no regrets, we’ve been talking like that the last few weeks, so when it ends we can be content,” said Hazekamp.
The Trojans definitely walked away from 2024’s undefeated regular season, and stinging regional final loss, knowing they put all they could on the line.
“The one thing people say all of the time, and I think they’re trying to be complimentary about our team, is: ‘Your guys worked so hard, they’re very athletic,’ but that’s the expectation we roll with, that’s what we do,” said Hazekamp. “They do those things unquestioned and are very coachable. They’re also pretty good soccer players, too.”
No doubt, the Trojans walk away from 2024 with a distinct undefeated regular season which was incredibly hard to do competing in the OK Silver.
The Trojans will remember a gritty player like Anspach and, of course, VanderMolen - whose fit stature at 6-5 was an intimidating physical presence for other teams.
“He (Vandermolen) will do whatever we ask him to do,” said Hazekamp. “He’s grown in the last three years and has garnered a lot of attention, that senior class is just a special group.
“In the moment (of a tough loss), you’re thinking about those seniors and will look back and think this was a really special group for a good tradition of soccer in West Michigan. These guys tied our program’s win mark.”
In the end, Fruitport’s seniors accomplished incredible feats, including 27 shutouts in two seasons. 15 shutouts in 2023 and 12 in 2024. The senior-led squad gave up just 26 goals in 46 games.
Those are numbers any coach and player will carry with them proudly throughout their lives. and are very coachable. They’re also pretty good soccer players too.”
No doubt the Trojans walk away from 2024 with a distinct undefeated regular season which was incredibly hard to do competing in the OK Silver.
“They held on in a dynamic offense that won the OK Silver in a loaded conference,” said Hazekamp. “Our guys gave them everything they could handle.”
The Trojans will remember a gritty player like Anspah, and VanderMolen whose fit stature at 6-5 resembles a near perfect specimen.
“He (Vandermolen) will do whatever we ask him to do,” said Hazekamp. “He’s grown in the last three years and has garnered a lot of attention, that senior class is just a special group.
“In the moment (of a tough loss), you’re thinking about those seniors and will look back and think this was a really special group for a good tradition of soccer in west Michigan,” said Hazeckamp. “These guys tied our program’s win mark.”
In the end, Fruitport’s seniors accomplished incredible feats including 27 shutouts in two seasons. 15 shutouts in 2023 and 12 in 2024. The senior led sqad gave up just 26 goals in 46 games.
These are numbers any coach and player will carry with them throughout their lives.
