MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP – The Reeths-Puffer football team is no longer interested in moral victories.
The Rockets are more than eager and ready to win a big game against a big rival.
That didn’t happen on Friday, when R-P fell to the Muskegon Big Reds 28-13 in a key O-K Green conference matchup at Rocket Stadium.
But the Rockets did overcome an early two-touchdown deficit, came up with some huge defensive plays and gave the Big Reds a battle for four quarters.
R-P head coach Cody Kater called the game a good measuring stick for his team, and said it's ready to keep building and competing at a high level.
R-P's Antrel Jones hands the ball off to Brody Johnson. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“At the end of the day, we’re not really interested in moral victories anymore,” Kater said. “But I’m so proud of the way our boys fought, and we learned something tonight.
“We were going to figure out who we were at the end of this game tonight. Now we know and we just have to carry it over to next week.”
After being forced to punt on the opening possession, the Rockets gave up a Muskegon touchdown when the Big Reds went 67 yards over 10 plays, capped off by a Jakob Price one-yard scoring run. The PAT kick gave the visitors a 7-0 lead with 5:43 left in the first quarter.
On the first snap of the second quarter, Muskegon’s Destin Piggee got loose for a 42-yard touchdown run, and the extra point gave the Big Reds a 14-0 edge.
Reeths-Puffer attempted a fake punt on the next drive and failed, giving Muskegon the ball around midfield.
R-P quarterback Antrel Jones gets ready to pass. Photo/Jeremy Clark
While things looked dire for R-P at that point, Ethan Winters stepped up and intercepted a pass and returned the ball all the way down to the Muskegon two-yard line.
Three snaps later, Brody Johnson punched in a one-yard touchdown run to cut the Rockets' deficit to 14-6 with 6:56 left in the second.
The Rockets looked ready to tie the game with just under three minutes left in the first half, but Johnson lost the ball just short of the Big Red goal line and Muskegon recovered the fumble for a touchback.
A 10-yard touchdown run by Price with 21 seconds left on the clock gave Muskegon a 21-6 halftime advantage.
The Rockets dodged one bullet with five minutes left in the third quarter when they blocked Muskegon’s 26-yard field goal attempt.
R-P's Bryce Ross (2) tries to break a tackle. Photo/Jeremy Clark
On the next drive, R-P quarterback Antrel Jones connected with Travis Ambrose for a 68-yard pass, then Johnson punched in a 21-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 21-13 with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Muskegon lined up for a fourth-and-one play at the Rocket four-yard line.
The R-P defense once again stepped up and forced a turnover on downs by making a stop in the Big Red backfield.
“Our defense played their butts off,” Kater said. “They answered the call, and that shows you everything you want out of a team.”
The Rockets could not take advantage, however, punting the ball on their next possession.
R-P's Travis Ambrose (21) tries to haul in a pass. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The Big Reds attempted a 23-yard field goal with 2:45 remaining, but the kick was no good, keeping the score at 21-13.
Reeths-Puffer had one more possession and one more chance but went four-and-out and turned the ball over on downs at its own 18-yard line.
The Big Reds could’ve kneeled the game out but chose to keep running their offense and scored on a four-yard run by Price with less than a minute remaining.
Jones completed 11 of 24 passes for 149 yards for the Rockets while Johnson totaled 66 yards and two scores on the ground.
Bryce Ross had 13 tackles to lead the R-P defensive effort, Caiden Bolduc added 12 and Lukas Johnson totaled 10.
The Rockets, now 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play, will visit Grand Rapids Union next week.
