Low enrollment forces Fruitport Calvary Christian to abandon season
Fruitport Calvary Christian coach Brad Richards talks to his team during a game on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Bradley Richards, left, and Quinn Swanson (3) are the lone returning players for this season. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Fruitport Calvary Christian High School will not be fielding a boys basketball team this season.
Low enrollment numbers have forced the school to end the season before it started and into a co-op with Muskegon Catholic Central.
“Calvary Christian Schools did not have enough players to field a boys basketball team,” boys basketball coach Brad Richards said. “And after years of being rivals, Muskegon Catholic graciously offered to provide a co-op for the two boys we had left in order to allow them to play their senior years.”
Those two players are Quinn Swanson and Bradley Richards, the son of Coach Richards.
Richards said the Division 4 school’s enrollment was around 75-80 students three years ago, but dropped to 36 for this school year.
“There are not five boys in the high school interested in playing basketball,” he said. “I never saw it coming.”
The boys basketball team was 11-12 last season and won a a district title in 2023.
“Two years ago we won districts by beating Muskegon Catholic and Muskegon Heights for the first time ever. I'm just very, very grateful that Muskegon Catholic would do this for our two boys left.”
Bradley Richards has been one of the top scorers in the area since he was a freshman. He averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds last season. He has 1,920 career points on varsity. He’s also an elite track athlete. He won the state title in the high jump as a junior. Swanson, a guard, averaged 17.4 points and 2.5 assists last season.
Calvary Christian has combined with Muskegon Catholic Central in football and will also do so in boys and girls soccer. Muskegon Catholic has an enrollment of 157 students, according to the MHSAA.
Fruitport Calvary Christian’s Bradley Richards dunks during a game on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
