MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - There’s automatic excitement attached to the Reeths-Puffer boys soccer team this fall, because Liam Smith is back for one more great season.
The Rocket senior has been a goal-scoring phenomenon since his freshman year, totaling 61 goals in three exciting seasons, including 28 last season.
Smith is now within 15 goals of the program’s career scoring record of 76, and the countdown will begin on Wednesday when the Rockets open the season on the road against Ludington.
A new career record could come pretty fast, because Smith not only continues to improve his skills, but has an amazing amount of stamina that allows him to stay on the field when others require rest, according to R-P Coach Kody Harrell.
“He’s even more explosive and he continues to grow,” Harrell said. “And he can play a full 80 minutes of any game. It’s pretty remarkable that he can play at such a high level. He’s already the most skilled player on the field, and when other kids start getting tired, he’s just getting started. That’s because he’s been training like a college athlete for the last three years.”
Liam Smith
Smith’s return is not the only reason for R-P's optimism. The team is loaded with experience and talent up and down the roster, which should help the Rockets pick up where they left off at the end of last season.
The Rockets ended the 2022 season on a very positive note. After a shaky start (a 4-6 record after 10 games) and a fifth-place finish in the tough O-K Green conference, R-P got hot at the end, beating Allendale 3-0, Ludington 3-0 and Spring Lake 1-0 to capture a Division 2 district championship without giving up a goal.
Reeths-Puffer lost to Forest Hills Northern in the first round of regionals and finished with an 11-9-2 overall record.
The hope is for many more wins this year, with 16 players expected to return from last year’s squad, including nine starters.
The offense should be explosive. If opponents somehow manage to limit Smith’s output, they will still have to worry about junior forward Nick Clemens, who scored 10 goals last season and appears ready to pick up where he left off.
Nick Clemens
“We think he’s ready to break out, especially with the attention that Liam gets,” Harrell said. “Our goal will be to create opportunities for Nick and a few other guys.”
Another offensive spark will come from promising sophomore Owen Ritsema, who was called up to varsity midway through last season and was starting by the time districts rolled around.
Ritsema scored some big goals down the stretch for the Rockets last fall and should be a big presence, as soon as he is fully healthy. He broke his ankle playing soccer in the spring and is not expected to be quite ready for the start of the season.
“He really turned it on for us last season,” Harrell said. “He is a fast, athletic presence and will be a big asset when he’s fully healthy. I could see him being cleared to play a few weeks into the season, then he might do a little rehab time with the JV, so we may have him back by mid-September.
“He’s a playmaker, more like a workhorse. He gets turnovers and makes the pass. He does the dirty work to set up goals, and he’s very capable of scoring, as well.”
Ethan Pennington
If the Rockets have one area of concern, it’s on the defensive end, according to Harrell. They will have to fill the shoes of several outstanding defenders who graduated in the spring, including standout Liam McHugh.
“We’re going to have a big hole in the back line, and it’s going to be a work in progress,” the coach said.
The good news is that the defense will still be anchored by several outstanding returnees, starting with senior JT Fansler and Luke Callender.
“Having Fansler back will be good for us,” Harrell said. “He’s a scrappy leader we can count on. He will play like a defensive midfielder role, but if we have to drop him further back we will. Callender is going to be a big body center back and will fill those minutes that Liam McHugh played. He will be a big presence.”
Senior Ethan Pennington, a third-year center back, will also play a big role in the defensive effort.
Gage Hopkins
Even if the defense struggles at times with a few new faces in the lineup, the Rockets know they will have a solid final line of defense in senior goalie Gage Hopkins, who like Smith will be a fourth-year starter.
“You don’t really see a lot of four-year starters in goal and we have a lot of confidence in him,” Harrell said. “He closes out angles really well and he’s a great shot-stopper. Any kind of rough times we might run into (on the defensive end), we’re comfortable in his ability to clean it up.”
Six players will start the season on junior varsity, but will be called up to varsity from time to time to fill in gaps, and will play large roles in the future.
They are sophomores Carsen McCollum, Zac Sampson, Cohen Beck, Blake Kiel, Kaden Vanderlaan and freshman London Carpenter.
