MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP – Youth can be both a blessing and a curse.
For the Reeths-Puffer girls cross country team, the hope is that the presence of some younger athletes will help the Rockets take a step forward this year, and be really strong next season.
The R-P roster consists of one junior while the rest are freshmen and sophomores.
“I’ve had most of these girls since middle school,” said R-P coach Lindsay Keefe, who is in her second year at the helm. “They’ll just have to make the jump by going the extra mile. But they’ll know what to expect in terms of working hard and pushing themselves. I’m pretty confident they’ll make the transition effortlessly.”
One underclassman who won’t need to make any transition is sophomore Jersi Bilek, who finished in 11th place at the O-K Green meet last season and 23rd in regionals.
“She got into the low 20’s last year,” said Keefe about the Bilek's times. “I’m really hoping for her to break that barrier. She’s been looking really strong at camp and is working hard while also encouraging her teammates well.”
The lone junior on the team is Adrienne Fluette, who is also expected to be at the top of the Reeths-Puffer team.
“I’m hoping for her to be a leader and push the younger girls to run a little faster like I know they can,” Keefe said. “She has that ability and it’s a strength of hers.”
Other underclassmen that Keefe has high hopes for include Darcy Keefe, Gabrielle Chevez, Jet Cole and Hope Latsch.
“I’m excited to see the freshmen step up and push the team a little bit,” the coach said. “They’ll do that by just being a little bit faster.”
One aspect that Keefe expects to take some time is familiarity with high school competition.
“Our weakness will be the experience piece,” she said. “When runners have run for a long time, they can put obstacles aside. But kids who haven’t had that experience yet may hold back sometimes.”
The Rockets opened up the 2023 practice season by going to a camp on Pioneer Trail on Big Blue Lake, and Keefe said it was a great experience.
“We were out there for three nights,” the coach said. “I wish we could send every public school team to overnight camp. It’s just such an adventure with being outside and sleeping in the cabins together. You go through the grit of camp life all at the same time.
“We went kayaking at sunset and jumped off the docks early in the morning after a hard workout. We’ve also played volleyball while taking part in all these fun activities.”
The Rockets are not entirely sure what to expect from their young roster, but they hope to have an impact against competition within Muskegon County.
“I’ll admit we may not do great in conference races, but we’d like to compete and place in the city meet,” Keefe said. “This year will be a big change in our lineup and I really have a hard time forecasting at this point where we’ll be for the season, because we’re just so young.”