NORTON SHORES — The Reeths-Puffer football team came out swinging and battled hard against Mona Shores in a Division 2 district playoff matchup on Friday night, but it wasn’t quite enough to knock off the Sailors.
Mona Shores survived an early Rocket punch and came away with a 29-20 victory in a physical, emotional contest on its home field.
The loss ended a successful season for the Rockets, who finished with a 7-3 record and the first back-to-back playoff appearances in program history.
R-P Coach Cody Kater felt his team played well on both sides of the ball, but just couldn’t quite find its way to a W.
R-P's Bryce Ross (2) fights off a tackle. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“We played well enough to win, we just didn’t find a way to win,” Kater said. “It’s just too bad, man. We executed rather well, we just couldn’t find the game, couldn’t find our footing when it really mattered.
“There were probably three or four plays left out there that weren’t in our favor, and they were able to execute their game plan. It’s just the way it goes.”
Reeths-Puffer got off to a very promising start, scoring on the first play from scrimmage and stuffing Mona Shores near the Rocket goal line on the next series.
But a first quarter safety recorded by the Sailor defense began to turn the momentum, and within minutes Mona Shores had the lead for good.
“It’s a basic play that we run, but we just didn’t execute very well,” Kater said about the safety. “There were just a lot of breaks like that, it felt like, throughout the game. We just couldn’t really find our footing in those moments. It’s something to learn from.”
R-P's Elliot Schneider stops a Mona Shores runner. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Friday marked the final game for a special group of R-P seniors, and Kater credited them for changing what it means to suit up for Reeths-Puffer.
R-P was 3-6 in 2021, the year before Kater and his staff arrived, and one year before most of the seniors reached varsity. The Rockets improved to 6-4 last year and 7-3 this season.
“They definitely helped flip this program, and they deserve every type of recognition that they get,” Kater said. “They showed what it means to care and put everything into it. It just stinks that it’s over with, because they deserve so much more.
“They changed the culture 100 percent.”
The Rockets came out flying in the opening minutes of the game, starting with a long return from Bryce Ross on the opening kickoff that gave R-P great field position.
R-P's Jaxson Whitaker (3) stretches to try to make a catch. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Reeths-Puffer only needed one snap to get on the scoreboard. Ross took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage then fired a pass downfield to Jaxson Whitaker for a 30-yard score.
Luke Callender’s extra point made it 7-0 early on.
Mona Shores drove inside the R-P five-yard-line on its first possession, but the Rocket defense stood tall and forced a turnover on downs.
The bad part was that the Rockets took over on their own two-yard line. They tried a direct snap to standout running back Brody Johnson, but he barely had the ball before he was dropped in the end zone for a safety, making the score 7-2.
The Sailors added a touchdown and extra point after the ensuing free kick to take a 9-7 lead. After an R-P three-and-out, another Mona Shores TD made it 15-7 with 8:45 left in the first half.
R-P's Travis Ambrose drags a Mona Shores defender behind him. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Reeths-Puffer drew closer on its next drive, which covered 68 yards and ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Johnson. A missed extra point left the score 15-13.
Mona Shores added a 40-yard touchdown before the halftime and led 22-13 at the break.
The Sailors started the second half with the ball, but R-P senior Caiden Bolduc stripped it away from a Mona Shores receiver, then recovered to give the Rockets possession in their own end of the field.
Johnson broke loose for a 61-yard run to put the ball deep in Sailor territory, then quarterback Antrel Johnson hit Whitaker with a 17-yard touchdown pass to pull R-P within two points, 22-20, with five minutes left in the third quarter.
R-P's Ethan Muskovin (18) dives to make a tackle. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The Rockets recovered another fumble early in the fourth quarter but couldn’t take advantage and had to punt.
Mona Shores broke free for a long touchdown run minutes later to go up 29-20 and ice the game.
Jones finished 7-for-16 passing for 100 yards and a touchdown. Johnson rushed for 89 yards and a TD on 11 carries.
Ross rushed for 39 yards in addition to his touchdown pass. Whitaker had four catches for 60 yards and two TDs, while Travis Ambrose had two catches for 57 yards.
Bolduc, Ross, Shaun Haley and Brooks Johnson led R-P defense in tackles.
