MUSKEGON TWP. - For the first two weeks of the season, the Reeths-Puffer football team’s offense struggled to score points, and the identity of the big play guys remained a mystery.
There just weren’t very many big plays, period.
That has changed over the last two weeks, as the Rockets ripped off two straight victories, over Spring Lake and Grand Rapids Union.
The first big weapon to emerge was a new name – sophomore Bryce Muskovin, who rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns against Spring Lake and 225 yards and four TDs against Union.
Another new name, at least on offense, was senior wide receiver Lukas Johnson, who had a 62-yard touchdown catch against Spring Lake, and showed some special teams dazzle with a long kickoff return TD against Caledonia in Week 2.
R-P's Marvin Moore
Now the identity of a third big weapon has become obvious, but he’s a lot more familiar to Rocket fans than the other two were.
It’s Marvin Moore, the standout basketball player who became a consistent scorer for the R-P varsity last winter as a sophomore.
Everybody knew he could hit the outside shots, but few understood what he could do on the football field.
That became much clearer last Friday against Union. It’s not that Moore had a lot of huge plays in the 48-13 victory, but when he got the ball, exciting things happened.
He had one run, on a reverse play, and it turned into a 49-yard touchdown. He had one catch, and it turned into an 85-yard touchdown.
Moore gets a block and finds open space against Spring Lake. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Moore also returned a kickoff 30 yards and intercepted a pass from his defensive backfield position.
That performance was not a one-and-done thing, according to R-P head coach Cody Kater. He said Moore has explosive speed, and he expects him to continue to make a lot of big plays – on the ground and through the air – from his slot receiver position.
“He’s a dynamic weapon, and as we’ve gone along we’ve been working on finding ways to get him the ball more,” Kater said.
There were a couple of factors that delayed Moore’s debut as a big play man, beyond the reality that the R-P offense was not functioning very well early on.
Moore had a dental issue before the season that required surgery, and he was also dealing with a nagging lower-body injury.
Moore gets a screen pass from QB Mason Darke. Photo/Tyler Lirones
He also needed time to adjust to being a full-time starter, according to Kater. He was actually called up to varsity as a sophomore last season, but didn’t get a great deal of playing time, so he’s still breaking in as an every-play guy who will carry his share of the offensive load.
“He had some medical stuff going on early in the season, which kind of slowed him down a bit, then it’s been a matter of getting him more comfortable with the speed and size of the game, and how to play the game,” Kater said.
“We saw a lot in him right away, and we wanted him to see it, too.”
Moore, a soft-spoken young man who doesn’t waste a lot of words, seems more than eager to make more big plays and help the Rockets win more games.
He calmly waited for his turn last season, even though he would have liked to play more.
Moore slices through the GR Union defense. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“I got used to practice and how they want you to be at the next level, so that helped,” Moore said. “It was really just about being patient.”
He remained patient through the first few games this season as the R-P offense sputtered and the scoring opportunities were scarce.
“I think it was just a matter of us finding our footing,” he said. “We just didn’t have it. But now that we’ve found it, I think we can really go far.”
He said it was a lot of fun to finally make some big plays personally and be a part of a runaway Rocket victory on Friday.
“It felt amazing, with the huge crowd for Homecoming,” he said.
Moore celebrates with running back Bryce Muskovin (20). Photo/Tyler Lirones
Moore, like all the Rockets, knows that the season is about to get more difficult, with a tough opponent coming up every week.
That will start on Friday at Forest Hills Northern, then continue with games against powerhouse teams from Byron Center, Muskegon, Mona Shores and Forest Hills Eastern.
“We are a whole different team, from the first game until now,” Moore said. “We feel like we’ve grown a lot. We are much more of a unified team, more of a brotherhood team.
“We have a lot of tough games ahead, but I believe we can do it.”