The pressure is off the Reeths-Puffer football team after last week’s 30-12 loss to Zeeland West.
The Rockets are no longer in the race for the O-K Green conference title, so they can relax and focus on playing the best football they can play.
They know they can perform much better than they did last week, when they shot themselves in the foot multiple times with penalties and turnovers at crucial moments.
The lack of pressure and quiet self-confidence could work in the Rockets’ favor when they host powerful Mona Shores (6-1) in the annual rivalry game on Friday night.
R-P running back Brody Johnson, who's rushed for 803 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“I think I did a terrible job the last few weeks talking about championships, instead of talking about being a champion,” said R-P head coach Cody Kater, whose team is 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the O-K Green. “You don’t necessarily have to win championships to be a champion. You can practice and work like a champion, and that’s been our main focus this week.”
The Mona Shores rivalry really hasn’t been much of a rivalry in recent years.
The Sailors have won the last five meetings and only one game was close – a 49-35 loss in 2018. Last year the Sailors won 57-15, and in 2020 the score was an ugly 55-0.
The last time Reeths-Puffer beat the Sailors was in 2016, 39-34.
But after two tough weeks, with a tight 20-18 win over Zeeland East and the loss to Zeeland West, the Rockets are due to bounce back and play their best football.
R-P quarterback Brady Ross, who has thrown for 710 yards.
Few people are expecting them to win, but they believe they have the talent to stick with the Sailors, and they would love to make a major statement by pulling off an upset.
All year long the Rockets have talked about closing the gap with Muskegon County powerhouses like Mona Shores and Muskegon. They came close against the Big Reds, and now they get their crack at the Sailors.
“I think within the last few years a lot of points have been scored on us, and we need to do our job and close the gap,” Kater said. “We’ve had a pretty intense week. The guys know who’s on the other side and what’s happened in the past. They understand that this is the game to show people we’ve closed the gap.”
The Rockets have also spent the season talking about R-P vs. R-P, meaning that they want to be the best version of themselves, regardless of the opponent.
That challenge came sharply into focus after last week’s game, when the Rockets were hurt as much by themselves as they were by Zeeland West.
Rockets linebacker Caiden Bolduc (8), who leads the area with 91 tackles.
They may not have necessarily won, but the Rockets believe last week’s game would have been much closer if they had played their best.
“It’s been a big week of self-reflection,” Kater said. “Last week we had nine penalties to their two and we turned the ball over twice within their five-yard line.
“We have to look inward and fix it and move on. The good teams always focus on themselves.”
R-P will probably have to play a great game to stick with Mona Shores, which has outscored its opponents 332-92 this season. The Sailors are 5-0 in conference play and can clinch at least a share of the O-K Green title by beating R-P.
Mona Shores is led by running back Dahmir Farnum, who had rushed for 872 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The Sailors are also dangerous through the air, with sophomore quarterback Johnathon Pittman completing 52 of 73 passes for 890 yards with 13 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.
His favorite target is wideout Jaylen Vinton, who has caught 24 passes for 470 yards and eight touchdowns.
Rocket wide receiver Tayte Vanderleest, who has 26 catches for 344 yards.
The Rockets will bring some potent weapons of their own into the contest, including running back Brody Johnson, who’s rushed for 803 yards and 13 touchdowns, as well as quarterback Brady Ross, who's passed for 710 yards and five touchdowns, and wideout Tayte Vanderleest, who has 28 catches for 344 yards.
Defensively the Rockets are led by linebacker Caiden Bolduc, who leads the area with 91 tackles.
A conference championship may be out of reach now, but that doesn’t mean the Rockets can’t finish the regular season strong and prepare for possible playoff opportunities.
“There’s kind of been a quiet confidence at practice this week,” Kater said. “We’re making sure we’re focusing on us. I think the boys are starting to understand that focus and understand what it takes to beat a good team.
“Mona Shores has a great program headed by a great coaching staff. We’re doing everything we can to prepare so we can put a quality product out there and be a very tough team to beat.”