EASTON - When Devin Fortes graduated from Brockton High in 2020, his football journey brought him seven minutes down the road, to Stonehill College.
He has come a long way, despite the close distance.
Fortes' freshman season was canceled due to COVID-19 and, since, has fought for snaps as a reserve safety behind mainstay starter Masyn Lorick the past two years. He appeared in five games as a sophomore and four games as a junior.
Monday night, as the Skyhawks held their first official practice of the new season, Fortes stepped into his new spot as the starting free safety. Lorick graduated at the end of last season, Stonehill's first as a Division I program.
"I learned a lot from him," Fortes said of Lorick. "I got a little taste of the field my sophomore year when he was suspended for half a game. Then, watching him my whole junior year was a good experience for me. I know I'm ready for this new upcoming role I've got."
New year. New Skyhawks roster. New opportunity for Fortes.
"He's done such a tremendous job developing himself in the weight room over these four years," said head coach Eli Gardner, who enters his eighth season. "He's gotten bigger. He's gotten faster. He knows our defense just as well as our coaches do. It's like having another coach out there."
Fortes' promotion comes in a wave of changes Stonehill has made in the secondary entering this season. Kevin Porch, a fifth-year cornerback and former captain who had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries last fall, also graduated in the offseason.
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Last year's regime was key in Stonehill turning in an encouraging 4-5 record at the new Division I level and, defensively, allowing 23 points per game in its first run through the new landscape.
Senior Micah Brown, senior Kareem Grisham and junior C.J. Davis return to the unit this season with similar upticks in leadership roles, but the room of defensive backs otherwise features seven freshmen and four sophomores.
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"To see a guy like Devin put his arm around a freshman safety, whose eyes are already pretty wide with install(ing the scheme), it's a cool moment as a coach to see the ownership from our upperclassmen," Gardner said. "It's not my program; it's their program."
"A lot of (Fortes' growth) has been confidence, too, with him finding his voice," Gardner said. "He's always been a high-effort guy, but now, he's really had the spotlight on him more in the last seven, eight months."
Fortes, who stands 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, registered his lone tackle of the season in Stonehill's 24-20 win over Duquesne University at home on Oct. 1. He also appeared in the season-opener against Bloomberg University on Sept. 3 (a 33-30 win), the Oct. 22 meeting with St. Francis University (a 17-13 loss) and the season finale against Central Connecticut State on Nov. 19 (a 39-14 loss).
He registered two tackles and one broken-up pass as a sophomore, back when Stonehill was in the Division II ranks.
"There's a difference in the game, a difference in the atmosphere and crowd," Fortes said of playing at the next level. "When you get to the game, that Division I speed is a different thing. That strength is a different thing. But we've been training all summer and all training camp for this. We're ready to get after it."
"The players hold (Fortes) in a really high regard, and rightfully so," Gardner said. "He's earned that through his play on the field and I think it's going to translate in the fall on Saturdays."
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