MUSKEGON TWP. - It was sad to see former Reeths-Puffer football star Caiden Bolduc graduate and leave last spring.
The undersized but intense linebacker was a defensive dynamo for the Rockets, leading the team in tackles as a junior and senior.
Luckly, Bolduc did not leave the R-P football program empty-handed when he collected his diploma and moved on to study and play football at Calvin College.
He left behind a promising understudy - his younger brother, junior Cal Millis – and so far he’s doing a great job of living up to the family legacy.
In Week 1 against Forest Hills Central, Millis was among the Rockets’ leading tacklers with eight. Last week against Caledonia he was the leading tackler with nine.
R-P's Cal Millis
Mills said his passion for the sport picked up last season when he finally had a chance to play a year of varsity with his brother, who is two years older. Together they helped the Rockets post a 7-3 record and qualify for the state playoffs.
“I’ve always loved the game, of course, but I didn’t really fall in love with it until last year,” Millis said. "Playing with him really gave me the edge and inspired me to work harder.
“He taught me a lot and he still does. Last year, at home, we would watch film together and he would tell me I could do this or that a lot better.
”My whole life I have looked up to him, and he’s been a great mentor.”
One thing the brothers have in common is a lack of linebacker-type size.
Millis (top left) lines up for a play with the defense. Photo/Tyler Lirones
If anything, the issue has been a little more daunting for Millis than it was for Bolduc
Bolduc became a full-time starter as a junior, when he weighed about 175 pounds.
Last year Millis got a lot of playing time as a sophomore while weighing only 150 pounds.
He said that made it pretty hard to go up against some burly offensive linemen who were determined to move him out of the way.
“I’m not very strong, and I was just getting thrown around a lot,” Millis said about last season.
Millis (22) is greeted by a teammate after making a tackle. Photo/Joe Lane
Millis addressed that issue by eating more and hitting the weight room in the offseason. As a result he now weighs about 180 pounds, which has made a real difference.
“Last year I was like, do I belong, can I do this?” he said. "This year I’m like, yup, let’s go. I am a lot more physical. I’m able to make a lot more plays and I’m a lot more confident.”
Size will never be a major strength for Millis, but like his brother he’s learned to compensate with the way he plays.
“I’ve been focusing more on technique, just learning to get by (offensive blockers) and not let them get their hands on me,” he said.
What Mills is doing has clearly been working through the first two games, and R-P head coach Cody Kater has noticed.
Millis, left, playing on the kickoff team. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“He has that drive to want to play the linebacker position,” Kater said. “He has just gotten better. He’s not the heaviest guy on the team, but he can run sideline to sideline, it’s hard to block him and he has good instincts.
“He has a lot of things to clean up, but we’re excited about him and his growth. He’s going to keep getting better.”
Immediately after last Friday’s game – a 35-7 loss to Caledonia – Kater and the other coaches praised the defense for the improvements it made between the first two games.
The Rocket D did pretty well against the run, managed to stop Caledonia on two fourth-down conversion attempts, and forced two punts. The trouble came in the pass defense, because Caledonia ended up pulling away with four long touchdown receptions.
As Kater put it, “The defense has been doing great things. It’s just the defensive backs giving up big plays.”
Millis consults with R-P assistant coach Matt Shaver. Photo/Joe Lane
Millis obviously does not play a huge role in pass coverage, but he believes very strongly that the defense works as one unit, and success or failure at any position depends on all 11 players.
“If the other linebacker doesn’t do his job, I’m not going to make that tackle,” he said. “If the defensive line doesn’t do its job, I’m not going to make that tackle. It’s a collective effort.”
Millis said the same principle applies to the guys in the secondary who have given up so many big plays.
“It’s all of us – we can help them,” he said. “We need to jam those wide receivers. This week we’re going to be hands-on with the receivers and jam them in the dirt if we can. We need to back our safeties up with our play.”
Despite the Rockets’ 0-2 record, Millis said the Rockets remain confident and eager to gain that first victory, which they hope will happen on Friday night at home against Spring Lake.
“We’re starving,” he said. “We know we can beat all of these teams. We know what we can do. We’ve just got to fix some stuff up.”