MUSKEGON TWP. - Older Reeths-Puffer fans – the folks who know the answers to the R-P trivia questions that are announced during home football games – will remember when Spring Lake was an annual opponent on the football schedule.
That was back when R-P and Spring Lake were members of the old Seaway Conference, which also included schools like Fruitport, Orchard View, Fremont, Muskegon Heights, Ludington, Whitehall and several others over the years.
The two football teams have actually played 30 times, with R-P holding an 18-10-2 advantage.
The Rockets dominated the final 11 years of the series, winning 10 of those games. The series ended after the 1994 season, when R-P beat the Lakers 42-0.
Now the two squads are set to renew acquaintances when Spring Lake (1-1) visits Reeths-Puffer (0-2) for a non-conference game on Friday night.
R-P's Lukas Johnson (5), who had big kickoff return for a touchdown last week. Photo/Jeremy Clark
R-P is a significantly bigger school. The Rockets compete in Division 2 while the Lakers play in Division 4.
Indeed, it was Reeths-Puffer’s growth as a district that led it away from the old Seaway Conference and eventually into the O-K conference, which includes numerous schools that are farther away but have similar enrollment.
Just because Spring Lake is smaller does not mean the Lakers can’t play football, however. Head coach Cody Mallory has turned the program into a pretty consistent winner since he arrived in 2022.
The Lakers have qualified for the state playoffs for two out of the last three years, including last season when they went 7-3.
Spring Lake was ranked in Division 4 state polls heading into this season and got off to a great start, pounding Fruitport 40-6 in Week 1. The Lakers cooled off a bit last week, falling to Belding 47-22.
R-P head coach Cody Kater. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Belding is hardly a slouch, having made the playoffs each of the past four seasons
Either way, the Rockets are not assuming they will have anything but a tough battle on their hands when the ball is kicked off on Friday, according to R-P head coach Cody Kater.
“(Mallory) has built a playoff team down there,” Kater said. “They have done a great job. Our boys may not even know their record or much about them, but they do some things that we haven’t seen before, and our kids will have to pick up on that.
“This will be our first local game of the season. They are a school that our sports teams have played a lot before, so this game brings a little more of a local rivalry sense with it. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a tough matchup, but we wanted to play good teams, and this will be another game that will help us get better."
Hunting for that first victory
The Rockets, who are very young at a lot of positions and opened the season against two state-ranked teams, will be looking for their first win.
They played very tough in Week 1, losing to defending Division 3 state champion Forest Hills Central 21-10.
They also put up a good fight for a half against Caledonia on Friday. They only trailed 12-7 at halftime before eventually falling 35-7.
The biggest problems were that the R-P offense was not clicking at all, and Caledonia has a big-armed quarterback, Brody Betser, who eventually got hot and threw four long touchdown passes.
The R-P defense, which drew praise from the coaches for improved play last week. Photo/Jeremy Clark
When asked to assess the Caledonia game two days later, Kater said, “Watching the film, it was very similar to the first game. We have to figure out a way to sustain for four quarters. Our offense needs to improve its execution and find an identity in terms of what they are going to lean on. Our defense needs to avoid the big plays.”
From a confidence perspective, how important is it for the Rockets to get that first win, sooner rather than later?
Kater admits a victory would help, but stressed that there are no shortcuts. It’s a matter of paying attention to detail and identifying and addressing all the little areas where the team needs to improve, he said.
As that process advances, the wins will come.
“We need to figure out how to lean in on some of these things that are not going so well for us,” the coach said. “To build confidence, there are little things we need to do at practice and off the field. There are a lot of good 0-2 teams out there. We understand that. We know there is still a lot of football to play.
“There are just a lot of little things we need to do that will create opportunities for success, so we can create some confidence.”
Youngsters learning, showing flashes of their abilities
Kater worked with a group of older and more advanced athletes during his first two seasons at R-P, when the Rockets went 6-4 and 7-3 respectively, and made the playoffs each year.
He admits that coaching this year’s squad, with so many younger players and first-time starters, is a little bit different and requires a little more patience.
Last Friday’s 40-man roster included 18 juniors, three sophomores and one freshman.
“We are always trying to make sure our boys understand the little details and understand that the conversations we have are about things that need to be changed and improved upon,” he said. “We show them on the white board, we show them on film and we show them at practice. .
The R-P student section showed up in force for last week's home opener. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“Now it turns into a more technical piece – is our quarterback getting his second reads? Does the offensive line know the difference between the different schemes they are seeing from the defensive line?
“These are young guys and they are getting coached. I have coached younger players before. We want to see change and development. We need to have some patience, but at the same time a sense of urgency.”
A couple of the youngest guys on the team turned in some exciting plays on Friday, giving R-P fans a taste of what the future may be like.
Sophomore running back Bryce Muskovin put a charge into the stadium in the second quarter when he took a handoff and weaved through tacklers for a very nice 40-yard gain.
Muskovin finished the game with 9 carries for 65 yards.
The award-winning R-P band put on a great show at halftime last Friday. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Sophomore wide receiver Connor McManus hauled in a 28-yard pass from quarterback Mason Darke in the third quarter on a big third-and-16 play..
McManus finished with four receptions for 42 yards.
Both are first-year staters with a lot of learning and developing to do, but both seems to have the tools to do very well at the varsity level over the next three years.
“Those are two young guys we’re excited about,” Kater said. “Also freshman cornerback Cole Piper, who had a couple of nice breakups. People are probably going to hear those names a lot over the next few years.”