The Reeths-Puffer soccer team has beaten Muskegon three times this season, all by runaway scores.
The latest came on Thursday night when the Rockets downed the Big Reds 8-0 in the opening round of the Division 2 district tournament.
It was the Rockets’ third straight victory and sent them into Tuesday’s district semifinals against Coopersville, which eliminated Sparta 4-0 on Thursday.
The winner of that game will advance to the district championship game against either Fruitport or Spring Lake.
Trenton Hanks
The Rockets are now 10-8-1 on the season.
“We’re excited to compete with Coopersville, a team we think presents some different challenges for us,” said R-P Coach Kody Harrell. “They have some decent speed up front and on the outside of their formation.
“We know we’re in for a battle, and it gets even tougher on Thursday if we make it through, regardless if its Spring Lake, which has a winning tradition, or Fruitport, which has had an amazing season.”
The Rockets were led by junior Trenton Hanks with two goals.
Zac Sampson
Hanks has been an added bonus to the Rockets’ offense lately, scoring twice last week in a regular season game against Muskegon, and two goals in a recent victory over Grandville.
“This is the only year he’s been with us, and he’s just a hard-working, athletic kid,” Harrell said about Hanks. “He can really play every position and we float him around as needed. He’s the ultimate utility guy and an amazing, smart athlete.”
The other R-P scorers were Saif Abunayla, Zac Sampson, Owen Ritsema and Kaden Vanderlaan.
Sampson also had three assists for the Rockets.
“We’re very excited about what we have learned about ourselves this year with a challenging schedule, and we’re ready to test ourselves, go compete for a championship, and represent our school and our community,” Harrell said.