MUSKEGON TWP. - JaVon Plummer sure knows how to put an exclamation point on a victory.
The Reeths-Puffer football team scored a huge fourth-quarter touchdown last Friday against Spring Lake, which extended a precarious five-point lead to 12 points.
But there were still more than two minutes left on the clock, and the Lakers, who had been moving the ball and scoring in the second half, were about to get it back.
Plummer and the Rocket defense made sure they didn’t do anything with that final opportunity.
JaVon Plummer
Plummer registered two big quarterback sacks on that final drive, on second and fourth down, and R-P walked off with a big 26-14 victory a few seconds later.
It was Reeths-Puffer’s first win of this season, following disappointing losses against Forest Hills Central and Caledonia, and the players were loving it.
“It feels really good to get a W in the books,” said Plummer, who will be back on the field with his teammates on Friday night against Grand Rapids Union in R-P's Homecoming game. “All we can do is keep getting better.”
Plummer played a big role in the win, with three QB sacks and five total tackles.
Plummer pursues Spring Lake's quarterback during last Friday's game.
He said his final two sacks, on that last Spring Lake possession, were the personal highlights of his night.
“It was exciting because I was told that I might be getting close to the R-P sack record for one game,” he said. “I didn’t quite make it, but I was close!”
Plummer said there is a certain thrill that comes with sacking the opposing quarterback and disrupting what the offense planned to do.
“I like to beat my defender with my go-to move, the spin, then the quarterback is usually surprised,” he said. “You are right there in front of his face, and there’s nothing he can do but sit there and take it.
Plummer dives for a quarterback sack.
“He’s like a deer in the headlights, wide-eyed. He’s like, ‘You’re not supposed to be here right now!”
The R-P coaches have known about Plummer’s speed, athleticism and all-around potential for several years, and are thrilled to see him starting to do the most with his tools.
“We always thought he could be a special explosive player, and we love it,” said R-P head coach Cody Kater. “He’s really grown up a lot within the last year. He’s showing more care and love for the guys around him. He’s showing that he can be a relentless player, do all the little things correctly and lift people up. He’s taking it all more seriously than in the previous years.”
Plummer said he always cared, but didn’t know how to maximize his performance on a consistent basis. That just came with maturity, and now, as a senior, he’s trying to be a force on every play.
“It’s not that I didn’t want it as much,” he said about past seasons. “I just wasn’t there yet. I thought I was there, from how I performed in practice and a few games, but I had to grow up and admit that I wasn’t there.
Plummer and a teammate celebrate a sack.
“This means everything to me now. I only have six games left, and those six games have to be the best games I have ever played.”
Plummer also shows maturity when he admits that the R-P defense had a rough second half on Friday, allowing Spring Lake to march down the field and score twice, after the Rockets had built a 19-0 lead.
“It was a lack of discipline and not being able to play four good quarters,” he said. “Exhaustion got the best of us, too, which shouldn’t have been the case. We are always flying around like the Air Force in practice.
“As the D line captain, I have to take some of the blame for us not being disciplined.”
After playing mostly nose tackle on defense last year, Plummer says he loves his new position, defensive end, which gives him the freedom to get in the offensive backfield and chase the quarterback. 
Plummer tries to work past a Spring Lake blocker.
He said there’s more than just speed and technique involved when it comes to sacking a QB, however.
“You don’t want to rush too hard and miss the quarterback in those situations,” he said. “You don’t want to have to go back and watch the game film and say "I wish I had that chance back.' In that moment there is no wishing. You have to get him now.”
Kater said it’s great to have Plummer added to the pash-rushing game, and expects to see great results all season.
“He’s a nice athlete and he’s very quick inside the box,” the coach said. “If he keeps this up, one of these days he’s going to get a scoop-and-score. A three-sack night is awesome. Last year altogether we only had six sacks. He has half of that already.”