The scene was pretty joyful at Reeths-Puffer’s Rocket Stadium last Thursday, with players, coaches and fans all celebrating a big opening win over Grand Haven.
Now the Rockets are tasked with avoiding a letdown on the road against St. Johns this Thursday, following a long day of school and a long bus ride.
But if first-year head coach Cody Kater and his staff have accomplished anything in their first months on the job, it’s getting the players to be focused on the task at hand.
That’s why the coach isn’t too worried about the Rockets having an emotional letdown after their exciting opener.
A pair of R-P defenders take down a Grand Haven ball carrier last week.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an issue,” Kater said. “Our staff has done a great job of creating a plan that the players believe in, identifying our strengths and working on our weaknesses, and the kids are being honest with themselves. They are still very hungry and want to be coached.
"We've been coaching them on every single play, and they get honest feedback, good or bad. We really got after it on Sunday and Monday (in practice), and we had a quality practice on Tuesday. I just think, deep inside each of our players, they know that this formula may work.”
To say that the Rockets were impressive in their 32-20 win over Grand Haven last week would be an understatement.
They controlled the game from the opening kickoff, which Grand Haven fumbled and Reeths-Puffer recovered. The Rockets scored quickly after the turnover and never really looked back.
Quarterback Brady Ross completed 8 of 15 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown and ran for three TDs. Tailback Brody Johnson rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries.
R-P tailback Brody Johnson (left) piles up yards while getting some help from blockers.
Receiver Tayte Vanderleest had six catches for 104 yards and one touchdown. Bryce Ross had three catches for 48 yards and one receiving touchdown. He also threw a TD pass and had an interception on defense.
Linebacker Caiden Bolduc had a monster game with 20 tackles, Vanderleest and Carson Harwood each added seven stops and Bryce Ross and Caleb Zimmerman each had six.
Kater said last week’s win provided a lot of mental benefits for the Rockets going forward. The players and coaches spent several months planning and practicing, then managed to execute what they rehearsed in their very first live appearance.
“When we look back, since February we’ve been implementing our techniques and working on laying down the foundation,” Kater said. “It was nice to see the players’ hard work, dedication and commitment play out. It’s given them some reassurance that it does really work, and now we’re able to coach a little harder because we don’t have to build them up as much.”
That being said, the coach knows his team will face a stiff challenge in St. Johns against a team that lost a tough one last week, 27-22 to Jackson County Western.
The student section was full and fired up last Friday.
He also knows the Redmen will be eager to get some payback against the Rockets, who beat St. Johns 19-6 at home last season.
“That’s a tough environment to play in over there, and they are hungry,” Kater said. "They lost a game that was really tight, they come from a great program and a community that loves its sports, and they are looking for revenge from last year.
“Those guys are scrappy, their defense is incredibly sound, and they have some athletes who can stretch the field a little bit. They return a good number of starters and they run an offense that’s difficult to prepare for.”
The two-hour trip will provide an extra challenge for the Rockets, who will be in class all day before getting on the bus. That’s far different than last week, when school had not started yet, the Rockets were at home, and the players could rest and relax until it was time to head for the stadium.
R-P's Tayte Vanderleest finds lots of room to run.
“Saturday bus trips aren’t nearly as tough, but the Friday night trips - and this week the Thursday trip - are the difficult ones,” said Kater, who has been on more than his share of long road trips as a player and coach. “They are going to be in school all day then get out and make the trip.. We just have to make sure that we are business-like in our attitude. We have to be prepared to play four quarters.”
Anyone who has glanced at the schedule knows the Rockets are a week away from a very big challenge, hosting the always powerful Muskegon Big Reds in the O-K Black conference opener.
Kater knows that game is looming, but he won’t be ready to talk about it until the St. Johns game is over.
“I haven’t heard that word come up yet anywhere in our program,” he said, referring to the word Muskegon. “We understand what’s at stake in our game this week.”