In the spring, the Reeths-Puffer girls tennis team won the championship at the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association City Tournament for the first time in program history.
It was quite an accomplishment for the Rockets to beat traditional powers like Mona Shores, Whitehall and North Muskegon to claim the trophy.
Now the R-P boys team would like to follow suit and win the first city title in its history, and it looks like it might have the players to do it.
The Rocket boys enter the season with a ton of experience and confidence, because they are bringing back a lot of skilled players from last year’s team, which had its share of success.
Ryan Hankinson coaches both the boys and girls teams and said it would be exciting to claim the first two city tennis titles in school history within one year.
No. 1 singles player Ethan Frang
“It could be as rewarding as last year (with the girls),” the coach said. “As proud as I was of what they accomplished, this is a special group of boys this year.
“It’s exciting to have kids who are confident, who recognize and know they have talent and can play.”
Perhaps the best example of the Rockets’ depth comes at the top of the lineup.
Last year Quinn Alderink posted a respectable 14-12 record as R-P’s No. 1 singles player, and was presumably headed toward a much better season at that challenging spot after gaining a year of experience.
However, junior Ethan Frang, who played on the No. 1 doubles team last year, rapidly improved in the offseason and won the No. 1 singles spot this season, leaving Alderink, a senior, at No. 2.
That should give the Rockets an extremely tough combination at the top of the lineup, with two players who are good enough to be very successful at No. 1.
No. 2 singles player Quinn Alderink
“He was on one of our best doubles teams last year, and he has put so much time and effort into his game,” Hankinson said about Frang. “He is a big hitter, super athletic and covers the court really well. He just puts the time in. It was hard getting him off the court this summer.
“Quinn and I talked, and he wants to stay in the singles lineup. He should have an outstanding season at No. 2 singles, and this definitely leaves us in outstanding shape.”
The switch at the top of the lineup is also impacting No. 3 singles, where senior Adam Miller, who played No. 2 singles last season, is dropping down a spot, just like Alderink.
“He played two singles last year and struggled a bit, but he should be very successful at three singles,” Hankinson said about Miller. “He’s a very hard-working kid, very intelligent. We’re hoping, as a senior, that everything clicks for him this year.”
The Rockets had pretty much reserved the No. 4 singles spot for a talented freshman who wanted to come out for the team, but plays another fall sport as well and finally decided that adding tennis would be too much. That means the fourth singles spot will be filled by one of several very good players from the doubles lineup.
And the doubles lineup is quite good.
No. 3 singles player Adam Miller
The No. 1 doubles team will be comprised of senior Holden Earnest, who was part of two winning doubles teams over the past two years, and senior Cade Paugh, who played No. 4 singles for the Rockets last season.
“They could be the best doubles team in the area,” Hankinson said.
The No. 2 doubles team - senior Trent VanDam and junior Cory Judd – should also be very strong. Judd played some singles last year and has been a successful doubles player. VanDam is entering his fourth year as a strong doubles player.
The strength should continue at No. 3 doubles, where senior Adam Schrumpf, who played No. 2 doubles last year, will partner with junior Jackson Baldus, who played at No. 3 and No. 4 doubles last year.
The No. 4 doubles team will include senior Preston Singleton, who saw a lot of action last year, along with another player from the roster who is still be determined.
No. 1 doubles team of Cade Paugh (left) and Holden Earnest
The Rockets will be competing in the reconfigured O-K Green conference, which means they will no longer have to play very strong teams like Holland or the two Zeeland schools. On the surface that seems like good news, because R-P only managed to finish fifth in the conference last year despite having a pretty solid team.
But the new conference will be far from a cakewalk, according to the coach.
“We gained Byron Center, which has an outstanding tennis program and will probably be the favorite,” Hankinson said. “We gain Jenison, which went to state last year, and we know how tough Mona Shores was last year. Those are three state-caliber teams.”
The Rockets will challenge themselves in the tough conference, as well as against strong non-conference opponents like Grand Haven, Traverse City Central, Rockford and Maple City Glen Lake.
They hope the elite competition will help them accomplish their major goal – to follow the girls and win their first boys GMAA City Tournament championship.
“That would be quite an accomplishment, to have the boys and girls go back-to-back,” Hankinson said.