Two years ago, when Reeths-Puffer’s Caiden Bolduc was a freshman playing JV football, opponents found a way to work around him.
He was a defensive end on one side of the line, so they simply ran a lot of plays to the other side.
Last season, when he was called up to varsity, his coaches figured out a solution to that problem. They put him at middle linebacker, where he would be in the midst of most plays, regardless of where the other team went with the ball.
Bolduc gained experience last season, adjusting to the speed and demands of the varsity game, and said he finished with about 40 tackles.
This year his confidence is way up and he’s playing with some obvious swag.
Reeths-Puffer junior linebacker Caiden Balduc
Bolduc has led the Rockets in tackles in both of their games, a 32-20 win over Grand Haven in the season opener, and a 38-14 victory at St. Johns last Thursday.
In Week 1 he had five solo tackles and 15 assists. Last week he had 11 solo tackles and nine assists.
As great as those numbers have been, Bolduc is not satisfied.
“It could be better,” he said. “Last week I cleaned up a lot of mistakes from Week 1, when I missed a few solo tackles.”
Hearing talk like that, one might picture Bolduc as a large-framed, muscular athlete, as linebackers tend to be.
Bolduc (8) grabs an ankle to make a tackle against Grand Haven. Photo/Joe Lane
But he’s definitely not in that category. Bolduc is 6-foot and only 178 pounds, which means he’s cracking helmets with a lot of blockers who are a lot bigger than him.
He was 10 pounds lighter on varsity last year and admits “I’m not doing myself any favors” playing linebacker without more meat on his bones.
He makes up for it with heart. He said he loves to play defense and dish out hits, and loves to prove he can play against and beat the big boys. As R-P head coach Cody Kater put it, “He might be a little bit undersized, but he really gets after it.”
Bolduc just smiles when you ask him about his physical style on the field.
"It’s always been a big thing for me since youth football – I would rather hit somebody than get hit,” Bolduc said. “Hammer over nail.”
Bolduc (8) has led the Rockets in tackles in both games this season. Photo/Joe Lane
Bolduc uses his intelligence and game preparation habits to his advantage, according to R-P defensive coordinator Alex Smith.
“Caiden has earned all the success that has come his way so far this season,” Smith said. “The biggest thing that stands out to me is his preparation each week. He has elite practice habits. He consistently sprints to the football in practice, even if he’s just playing scout team linebacker.
“He’s always asking me to watch game film with him during lunch. A lot of people don’t realize it, but this is only his second year playing linebacker, and the game has really started to slow down for him. That’s due to his work ethic and love for the game.”
Bolduc’s sudden emergence as a player has coincided with the improvement of the entire R-P defense.
Last year the Rockets bled points, giving up 40 or more in four of their last five games.
Bolduc, in the middle on top of the ball-carrier, combines with a teammate for a tackle. Photo/Joe Lane
This year the defense has been far stingier, particularly in the second half, allowing the Rocket offense to do its work and nail down wins.
R-P gave up a late touchdown to Grand Haven in the final seconds of the game in Week 1. Even though victory was already assured, surrendering that final score made the Rocket defenders angry, Bolduc said.
“That one was on our personal scorecard,” Bolduc said.
Last week in St. Johns, the game was tied 14-14 at halftime, and the R-P defense really stood up, keeping the host team off the scoreboard in the final two quarters.
“When it came time for the second half, we just said, ‘Hey guys, no more points, we can’t allow that,’” Bolduc said. “That’s where you put your foot down and separate yourself from other teams.”
The R-P defense will be in for a major challenge on Friday at Hackley Stadium, when the Rockets open O-K Green conference play against the always powerful Muskegon Big Reds.
Muskegon returns a large and experienced offensive line this season, as well as several explosive offensive backs.
Since 2015 the Rockets have surrendered at least 50 points to the Big Reds five different times, and they lost last year 47-21.
But Bolduc says the Rockets have a new attitude and confidence this season, and they’re ready to measure themselves against a very good opponent.
“We always thought we could play with them, but this year, with the start that we’ve had and the coaching we’ve received, we’re really ready to play,” he said. “It’s just the mentality, the change in culture. We’re gonna get after it. We’re gonna play football.”