The Reeths-Puffer girls soccer team had a good season last year, posting a 13-8 overall record and a 6-4 mark in the O-K Green conference.
But all along, head coach Kody Harrell knew it was a warmup season, because the best was yet to come.
With 14 players returning from the 2022 squad, including eight starters, Harrell is extremely excited about what the Rockets can accomplish this season.
“I am extremely excited about our team,” said Harrell, whose squad will open the season on Wednesday with a game at East Grand Rapids, then another at home on Friday against North Muskegon.
“I think this will be one of the better girls teams we have seen at Reeths-Puffer in quite a while. We want to play for a conference title, and obviously Mona Shores is the team to beat, and Zeeland West is pretty good, too.”
Sophia Hekkema
A big part of Harrell’s excitement comes from the return of senior forward Sophia Hekkema, a three-sport athlete who is really good at everything she plays.
Hekkema tied her own single-season school record with 22 goals last season. She has 44 goals through two seasons of varsity soccer and would have a lot more if her freshman year had not been wiped out by the COVID pandemic.
“She just has a high motor,” Harrell said about Hekkema. “She’s one of those athletes who maintains it for the whole game. Just when you expect her to slow down, she takes it to a whole other level.
“She has what I call a power dribble. She can take a hard step to the right or left and dribble right around defenders. She has great ball control while sprinting.”
Senior Billie Tryska is also expected to play a big role on offense after scoring 11 goals last season. Like Hekkema, she is a three-season athlete who has a positive impact on all of her teams.
Brooke Bradley
“She took a year off from basketball and came back this season and was a big part of her team.” Harrell said. “She is a great leader and has positive energy all the time. That’s very infectious across the whole team.”
Senior Brooke Bradley, who plays an attacking midfield position, will return for her third year as a team captain.
“She does everything you need her to do,” Harrell said. “She plays a little bit further back, keeps the ball in the offensive end, keeps pressure on the defense and just doesn’t make many mistakes.”
Junior midfielder Alyssa Herbert is a strong defensive player and one of the best passers on the team. Senior Taeah Rensberger plays a wing position and has a high soccer IQ.
Two attacking midfielders – senior Ashlynn Anderson and junior Irelyn Niklasch – both lend a strong physical presence to the R-P attack.
Billie Tryska
Senior Alyvia Ackerberg is a fast player who will also bring a lot of skill and experience to the lineup, according to Harrell.
The Rockets will have a new starting goalkeeper this season, senior Ava Klopp, but she has years of experience at the position and is expected to perform very well.
Two talented freshmen - Abby Hill and Mallorie Messer - are also expected to play significant roles as they kick off their varsity careers.
There are many more talented and promising players on the roster who will help push the team toward success this season, according to Coach Harrell.
Harrell notes that six of the Rockets’ eight losses came against the same three teams last season – Mona Shores, Zeeland West and Spring Lake – who all beat R-P twice.
“We knew the best was yet to come for this team, especially when three teams gave us 75 percent of our losses last year,” the coach said. “We won the games we knew we could win, but lost the really big games.
“We’ve talked about putting some respect back into our rivalry games. We are really on a bit of a revenge tour.”
