From a practical standpoint, last week’s Reeths-Puffer vs. Zeeland West football game was not critically important.
It had no impact on the O-K Green conference championship race, and both teams had already qualified for the playoffs.
From a confidence standpoint, however, the Rockets’ 14-12 victory was huge.
It gave R-P a 7-2 regular season record, with one more win than in 2022, and allowed them to overcome a nagging issue that had to be addressed.
Photo/Jeremy Clark
The Rockets had never beaten Zeeland West before. and were a combined 0-16 against the three beasts of the O-K Green – ZW, Mona Shores and Muskegon – going all the way back to 2016.
Finally getting over that speed bump confirmed for the Rockets that they can win the big games, and that knowledge could be huge in Friday’s playoff opener at Mona Shores.
“It was definitely a confidence booster,” said R-P Coach Cody Kater, whose team will meet Mona Shores for the first time ever in the playoffs. “These seniors have been in a few of those games (against the big three) and haven’t been able to be on the better end of the results.
“Finding a way to win in back-top-back weeks (the Rockets also won a close one at Zeeland East in Week 8) gave us some confidence and momentum and a belief that what we are doing is working."
Photo/Jeremy Clark
That newfound belief will be put to the test on Friday, in front of what’s sure to be a huge crowd with a lot of surrounding media buzz.
Beating Zeeland West was one hurdle. The Sailors are the next big challenge, and there’s a lot of bad recent history to overcome.
Reeths-Puffer has lost seven straight games to Mona Shores, going back to 2016, when the Rockets won 39-34. Some of those losses were pretty one-sided, like 44-6 in 2017, 55-0 in 2020 and 57-15 in 2021.
The most recent loss came in Week 3 this season, when the Rockets fell 28-10.
But the Sailors, state champions in 2019 and 2020, have not been perfect this season. They enter the game with a 6-3 record, with losses against powerhouses Rockford and Muskegon, and a stunning 21-20 loss last week against Zeeland East.
Photo/Jeremy Clark
On paper, the Sailors don’t seem quite as scary on offense as in previous seasons. They have scored a total of 286 points, which is still very good, but it's the first time since 2016 they have not scored at least 400.
On the flip side, the Sailor seem even stingier on defense. They have only given up 145 points, the fewest since 2015.
Either way, the Rockets know very well that Mona Shores is still a major hazard, according to Kater.
“We’ve known the whole time we’ve been here that it’s never going to get easier within our conference or in our county,” said Kater, whose team has outscored opponents 306-160. “The kids have built a mentality based on that, and they are a little tougher because of it. Now we have another opportunity to play a team we know really well.”
One plus is that R-P has shown an ability to learn from its mistakes, study and correct its shortcomings, regardless of the opponent.
Photo/Jeremy Clark
If they keep getting better, the players know the scoreboard will usually take care of itself.
“We’ve been looking inward for the past two months,” Kater said. “It’s been all about what we can do to get better and improve, and that’s where we will continue to live. Good games and bad games, we put the film on and coach from the film. The kids are looking at how they can improve individually and as a team.”
Reeths-Puffer is making its first back-to-back appearance in the playoffs, and last year’s taste of the world of one-loss-and-done football should be a benefit this time around.
Last year, in their first playoff game since 2013, the Rockets fell to Forest Hills Central 32-6.
Photo/Jeremy Clark
Kater said this year’s team is more confident than the 2022 squad heading into the postseason.
“Last year a lot of things were new, and it felt like the season was really long,” the coach said. “How we reacted to certain things, the conversations that were going on, the stress that we weren’t used to being under, just made for a long season.
“This year the players have wanted more information, have wanted to improve, have wanted to go to practice and be in the weight room. There is a true bond and love between the players, and between the players and coaches.
“Last year’s team definitely overachieved by getting into the playoffs and closing that gap, and because of that this year’s team has been able to take it to the next level.”
