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MUSKEGON TWP. - A lot of Reeths-Puffer football fans are probably eager to see the new quarterback play his first home game on Friday, based on how he performed last week.

Junior Mason Darke made his R-P debut on Thursday in the season opener at Forest Hills Central and was pretty impressive.

He was advertised as a kid who can move the ball with his arm and his feet, and showed evidence of both, completing 8 of 12 passes for 79 yards and rushing for another 85 yards, including a touchdown.

Not bad for a first outing on a new team, on a much bigger and more competitive stage than Darke had ever played on before.
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Mason Darke

But R-P head coach Cody Kater said that was just a small sample of what Darke has the potential to do, and he’s a very good judge of such things. He was an All-State and state champion quarterback at Montague and went on to play QB at the Division 1 college level at Central Michigan University.

Kater believes Darke is currently relying on a lot of raw talent, and the goal is to refine his skills.

“I think he played really hard,” Kater said about Darke’s first game. “He played as an athlete. I don’t think he has played as a quarterback yet. My job is to figure out how to get him to quarterback down the field, instead of being an athlete and taking as many hits as he did.

“He’s one of the guys who grew the most from the beginning to the end of the summer. We’re excited to see where he’s going to go.”

A bigger challenge at a much bigger school

Kater sounds like he’s describing a kid with relatively little experience at quarterback, but that’s not the case with Darke.

He’s been playing football since the first grade and became a QB in the third or fourth grade.

“My dad was the coach of my team and we were terrible,” Darke said. “We didn’t have anyone else, so my dad asked me if I wanted to be the quarterback. Then it just kind of became my thing, and then I got to middle school and fell in love with it.”

Darke clearly showed a lot of growth and potential, because he earned the job as the starting quarterback for the Montague varsity last year as a sophomore.

He inherited the role that once belonged to Coach Kater, who might be the best QB in Montague football history.
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Darke rolls out on a pass play. Photo/Tyler Lirones

Darke did pretty well, helping the Wildcats post a respectable 4-6 record while sneaking into the playoffs.

But Darke’s career trajectory changed a great deal when he moved to the Reeths-Puffer school district earlier this year and enrolled at the high school in the spring.

He joined the R-P track team right away and showed off his athleticism as part of R-P’s 4x400 relay team, which qualified for the stare finals.

By the time summer rolled around, it was understood that Darke would be R-P’s new starting QB this year, replacing the graduated Antrel Jones.

That involved a lot of learning on his part. After all, there is a big difference between Montague, which is a small Division 6 school, and Reeths-Puffer, which is a large Division 2 school.
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Darke hands the ball off to running back Bryce Muskovin. Photo/Tyler Lirones

There are a lot more athletes, the talent level is higher, the competition is tougher, and the demands on the quarterback are greater.

“It was definitely pretty scary,” Darke said. “I didn’t know what to expect. Coming here was a much bigger aspect. There are a lot more people.”

Darke became comfortable in the role over the summer, once he got to know everyone and worked out with the players and the coaching staff.

By the time the season opener rolled around last week, Darke said he felt confident and prepared.

“Coach Kater and the other coaches got me ready,” he said. “I felt more pressure in May and June, but I got rid of the nerves by the beginning of camp season. I was not nervous at all (last week). I put my feet on the field and I was ready to go.”

‘He’s going to help make me great’

Darke and the R-P offense moved the ball consistently against Forest Hills Central, the defending Division 3 state champion, rolling up 268 yards in total offense.

Darke’s biggest moment came in the third quarter, when he capped off an impressive 16-play, 80-yard scoring drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The score and the PAT brought the Rockets to within four points of the Rangers, 14-10.

“It didn’t really think about it a lot at the time – it was in the moment,” Darke said about his touchdown.  “But as soon as I got on the bus after the game I was scrolling through Twitter and saw that they were reporting my first Reeths-Puffer touchdown. It was pretty cool!

“It was a very long (scoring) drive, and it was nice to finish and capitalize on the drive. I wish we would have done that more.”

Darke was referring to several other offensive drives that did not produce touchdowns for the Rockets.

A second quarter drive stalled inside the FHC five-yard line and R-P settled for a field goal. A third quarter drive ended on downs just short of midfield, and the Rangers took the ball and scored a quick touchdown.
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Darke runs with Ben Adams (72) and Nathan Dolloway (78) blocking. Photo/Tyler Lirones

The Rockets were trailing 21-10 in the fourth quarter and were driving down the field for what could have been an important score, but Darke threw an interception at the FHC 16 and the home team ran out the clock to seal its victory.

Overall Darke said he would give himself and the R-P offense a B-minus for their performance.

“We marched up and down the field and moved the ball pretty well,” he said. "There were some mistakes that were on me, and some on other people, but I thought we executed pretty well. There were just a couple stalled drives and dumb penalties.”

Kater learned a lot about Darke while watching him in a real game and identified some areas that need improvement.

“His eyes are going to tell the story," the coach said. “He needs to know where the ball is going to go pre-snap, he needs to know who his key defender is and who he is throwing off of and running off of post-snap, and he needs to minimize mistakes.

“There are mistakes the crowd can see and mistakes they can’t see. He did a pretty good job of minimizing both, besides the big interception.
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Darke (9) gets back on his feet after scoring a touchdown last week. Photo/Tyler Lirones

“You can see how hard he is playing and how much he wants it. Now he just has to figure out how to quarterback.”

Darke agreed with Kater’s assessment.

“I definitely have to learn to be more comfortable in the pocket,” he said. “I really like running and a rely on my legs a lot. I have to be more calm in the pocket, even when it starts collapsing, and learn how to step up and make the play.”

Darke stressed that he trusts Kater and knows that he’s a great quarterback mentor.

“Me and Kater have spent a lot of time together,” he said. ‘It’s awesome. There are not a lot of coaches who have the background he has. Since April I have just been listening to him and taking in all the information I can. He’s going to help make me great.”
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