MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - It’s been a tough stretch of the season for the Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team.
The Rockets came into Thursday night’s home game against Grand Haven hoping to snap a six-game losing streak.
Instead of getting back on the winning track, however, R-P experienced a power outage, scoring a season low one goal in a 13-1 loss.
R-P goalie Gavin Wright, left, watches a play develop in front of him.
The good news is that there is still time for the Rockets to right the ship before state tournament time rolls around.
They have four games remaining in the regular season – starting Saturday with a matchup at Jenison - and have already demonstrated that they know how to win.
The Rockets started the season with a very respectable 3-3 record, with victories over East Kentwood, Kenowa Hills and Northview.
R-P's Parker Sweet goes after the ball hard against a falling Grand Haven player.
But to start winning again, they will have to rediscover their offense, which has produced fewer than 10 goals every game during the losing streak. That's not a recipe for success in a high-scoring game like lacrosse.
“We didn’t take care of the ball today,” said R-P assistant coach Josh Robidoux. “We made some mistakes while trying to rush our offense and I think it got in our heads a little bit. Defensively we weren’t looking for the best options.”
Grand Haven led 3-0 after one quarter following goals by Grant Taylor, Chase Robinson and Dolan Smits.
R-P's Seth Parker, right, defends against a Grand Haven player.
The Buccaneers added two more goals in the second quarter, from Robinson and Lance Poole, and had a 5-0 lead with five minutes remaining.
Reeths-Puffer’s Kyle Huff broke the shutout with a goal two minutes before halftime, assisted by Kyler Brainard.
The Buccaneers dominated the second half, collecting two goals from Kaden Wells and single tallies by Poole, Shea O’Leary, Max Corbat, Logan Petrus and Nick Miller.
R-P's Gavin Wright passes the ball up the field.
Despite the losing streak, Robidoux said the R-P players have remained committed to the cause and are not giving up.
“We have some wonderful kids on the bench who are supportive and do a great job of lifting up their teammates,” he said. “It’s hard not to get a little bit negative when you are losing a game like this against a team you know you can compete with. But we’re proud of these guys. They come out and show up to practice every day, work hard and stick with it.”
