MUSKEGON TWP. - Nate Dollaway is a really big kid who’s chucked full of Reeths-Puffer passion.
He loves his school, he loves football, and he loves playing for the Rockets.
You might have seen his photo on social media, several times this season. He’s the stocky lineman who lifts his smaller teammates high above his head whenever they score a touchdown.
That’s just one way he demonstrates his feelings for his team.
“That started last year when (former R-P standout) Brody Johnson showed me a clip of some team dong that,” said Dollaway, a 6-foot-1, 330-pound center and nose tackle. “I said that was really cool, so ever since then, every time someone scores, I try to get down there and pick them up.”
R-P's Nate Dollaway
Dollaway, a senior and third-year varsity starter, looked sort of emotional on Thursday afternoon as he prepared to hit the field for his final practice with the team.
Some might guess that his mood had something to do with the way the Rockets’ season has gone. They are 2-6 so far this fall, with their final game coming on Friday night at Forest Hills Eastern.
But that’s wasn't it.
Sure, he would have liked to win more games this season, and very much hopes he and his teammates can rise up and claim one more victory on Friday.
But more than anything, Dollaway is going to miss the brotherhood he says binds the team together and has kept everyone fighting during the difficult times.
Dollaway makes a block against Caledonia in Week 2. Photo/Jeremy Clark
"It’s just having that connection with the coaches and the other players,” he said. “It’s easy to have passion when you have love for everyone on the field. We are always picking each other up, always sharing the love with all the guys. We may have a bad game, but we still always believe in each other.
“I’m going to be sad that I am not going to have these people in my life every day.”
Dollaway did not start playing football until the eighth grade, and said he was ready to quit after his freshman season.
Then head coach Cody Kater came to Reeths-Puffer in the winter of his freshman year, and Dollaway was asked if he wanted to enroll in a football weight training class. He accepted, and everything changed after that.
“I remember walking into the class, and Coach Kater pointed to me and an older player, Hunter Allison, and said ‘Right there, you guys are brothers, starting right now. You will do everything with that man.’ It was great. Hunter always protected me and taught me things and took me places. It was like having an older buddy on the team who was showing me the right way.”
Dollaway makes a tackle for the Rockets. Photo/Jeremy Clark
So Dollaway stuck with football, started spending time with older players, and got R-P football in his blood.
He was midway through his sophomore season, playing on the JV squad, when he was suddenly called up to varsity to play offensive guard. Last season he became the starting center, just like his old buddy Hunter Allison was.
This year, as a senior, he was elected a team captain and became a two-way starter, playing center on offense and nose guard on defense and spending long periods of time on the field.
The extra workload has not bothered him a bit.
“It can get tiresome, but it’s all about finding the right balance,” Dollaway said. “On defense I am better at stopping the run, so in passing situations they usually put someone else in anyway.
Dollaway gets ready to hike the ball. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“I think overall it’s helped my conditioning a little bit.”
As a sophomore and junior, Dollaway played for good R-P teams that made the state playoffs for two straight years.
This year the Rockets lost their first two games, won the next two, but have now lost four in a row.
The last two weeks have been particularly painful, with R-P falling to Muskegon 47-7 and Mona Shores 40-0.
Dollaway hates to lose, but he has not let it ruin the joy he’s been getting from his senior year of football.
“It’s been hard having so many losses, but at the end of the day I still believe in all of my teammates,” he said. “I know we’ve all put our all into everything. I truly believe that’s the most important thing. I know I don’t have many regrets coming off the field when I put my full heart and soul into the game.
Dollaway (left) and several teammates take instruction on the sidelines. Photo/Jeremy Clark
"I just love football, and I love it here.”
That’s the kind of attitude that Kater loves.
“He’s a captain, he’s been a leader on the team, and he’s been a rock for us,” the coach said. “He’s a high achiever who’s going to put his heart and soul into whatever he does, and he’s put a lot of time and effort into football.
“This season has been difficult for him, but I haven’t heard him make any excuses. He’s done everything he needed to do.”
Despite the disappointment of recent weeks, Dollaway said the Rockets have been pumped up but loose in practice this week as they prepare for their final challenge.
“We’ve been really pumped,” he said. “We’ve been trying to do things a little differently. We’re still playing hard and doing the right things, but we’re not feeling so antsy and uptight about it. It’s our last week and our last hurrah. We might as well put everything out there.”