MUSKEGON TWP. - The Reeths Puffer wrestling team recently cut its practice time by 30 minutes every day, while increasing the intensity of the shorter workouts.
The idea is to work fast, work effectively and get the job done quickly.
That philosophy seems to be sticking with the R-P wrestlers, based on the way they performed on Wednesday against rival Mona Shores.
The Rockets jumped out to quick leads in just about every match, won 13 of 14, and rolled to an overwhelming 72-5 victory over the Sailors in front of a big crowd at R-P's Dan Beckeman Arena.
R-P's Aiden Neal, top. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Reeths-Puffer is now 22-5 overall on the season and 5-0 in the O-K Green conference standings.
The next challenge comes on Friday, when the Rockets will host the O-K Green tournament, with a chance to clinch their third straight conference championship.
Brad Cowles, the Rockets' first-year head coach, thinks his team is more than ready.
"We're excited about it, especially after today," Cowles said when asked about the conference tournament. "The guys were feeding off the crowd. It brought out the best in them. It would have been more fun if it had been more of a competitive match, but the guys did a great job of just dominating."
Neal picks up his opponent . Photo/Jeremy Clark
Wednesday's match provided a lot of evidence that the Rockets are wrestling their best at the best time of the season.
Usually when a final score in a dual match is so one-sided, it's an indication that the losing team had to forfeit a bunch of weight classes.
But Mona Shores only forfeited two matches. The Rockets simply dominated for most of the night, earning bonus points in every victory.
Winning by pin for R-P were Tristan Baker (132 pounds), Tanner Cowles (138), Hunter Eek (150), Lyric Stewart (175, pictured at top), Dahoni Welsh (190) and Devin Welch (285).
R-P's Devin Welch, top, goes for the pin. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Winning by technical fall were Travis Henderson (113), Ian Cook (144), Bryce Muskovin (157) and Aiden Neal (165).
Cook improved his record to 39-0 on the season.
Sage Secrest (215) won by major decision.
"We are peaking at the right time," Coach Cowles said. "We are big at setting the tone of each match and getting in their faces."
R-:P's Bryce Muskovin, left. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Cowles admitted that overall good fortune with injuries has helped his team stay so strong this late in the season. Andrew Corradin, the Rockets' regular 190-pounder, missed Wednesday's match with a minor injury, but will return. Junior standout Jake Rozycki is out for the season with an injury, a disappointing development for everyone on the team.
Other than that, however, the Rockets are healthy and confident as they try to finish the regular season with a conference title, then move on to team and individual districts.
"We've been blessed," the coach said about the Rockets' overall health. "Obviously we have some jammed fingers and sore knees, but we are doing pretty good. We know when to increase the intensity in practice, and when to back off a bit."