MUSKEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer High School has produced a lot of great athletes from lots of different graduating classes over the years, but when it comes to sheer numbers, the R-P Class of 2024 may have them all beat.
It’s hard to recall a time when so many stars have come through together in the same class and left such a big impact on the R-P athletic scene.
Three of those remarkable seniors – Liam Smith (soccer), Paige Anderson (golf) and Jaxson Whitaker (basketball) – were on center stage on Wednesday when they signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their careers at the colleges of their choice.
Smith will be headed to Western Michigan University, Anderson to Eastern Michigan University and Whitaker to Ferris State University.
R-P school officials decided to honor the three athletes with a special ceremony on Wednesday in the school library commons, so they could proudly commit to their colleges in public.
Whitaker (left) and Smith sign their national letters of intent.
Dozens of family members, friends, teammates and coaches piled in to show their appreciation for three student-athletes who set an amazing standard for younger Rockets to follow, in terms of hard work, dedication and accomplishment.
Besides the amazing things they have done in their sports, the three athletes have a combined 4.0 grade point average.
R-P Athletic Director Cliff Sandee, who has been around a lot of great high school players and teams in his career, said he has never seen so many standouts come through at one time, starting with Whitaker, Anderson and Smith.
“It’s pretty unprecedented,” Sandee said. “I have never been around anything like this. We have a soccer player who was runner-up for the (state) Mr. Soccer award, a basketball player who’s about to have another great season, and a golfer who set a state record. All three of them have some incredible individual accomplishments.”
Anderson signs her national letter of intent.
Sandee said the increasing number of Reeths-Puffer athletes who dominate at the prep level and move on to college sports demonstrates the growth of the R-P athletic program.
“The kids are changing the culture, and the coaches have been changing it through the kids,” he said. “They are coaching the players harder than I have ever seen kids coached, and the parents have been allowing them to be coached and learn from it. It all helps.”
All three Rockets who signed letters of intent on Wednesday have done jaw-dropping things at Reeths-Puffer.
Smith recently wrapped up the greatest career in the history of R-P soccer. He holds the team's career scoring record (98 goals), single-season scoring record (37 goals), career assist record (38) and single-season assist record (15).
Earlier this week Smith was named the state’s Division 1 Offensive Player of the Year and was runner-up for the state’s Mr. Soccer Award.
Liam Smith, who will play soccer at Western Michigan University.
Smith said he chose Western Michigan early, and avoided a long recruiting process, because the Broncos had what he was looking for.
“I went to a couple of their games and camps, and as soon as (WMC coach) Chad Wiseman reached out to me, I knew,” Smith said. “He recruited me pretty early. I knew he was interested, he knew I was interested, then I went on a visit there and committed just like that.”
Anderson just finished an amazing senior golf season, when she won the city tournament, conference tournament and a regional championship, and went on to finish third at the Division 2 state finals.
Her second-day score of 68 is the best round ever shot in Michigan girls state finals history.
Anderson said Eastern Michigan was the last college to jump in and recruit her and turned out to be the right one.
Paige Anderson, who will play golf for Eastern Michigan University.
“I talked to a few in Division 2, then right before regionals Eastern reached out to me and they are Division 1,” Anderson said. “I wasn’t even thinking about Division 1. Then I went there last week and really liked the facilities.
“They have a really good program, and they’re building a brand new $8 million facility just for golf. That’s going to be a great place to better my game.”
Whitaker holds Reeths-Puffer boys basketball records for three-pointers in a game (9), three-pointers in a season (80) and three-pointers in a career (168).
He’s about to begin his senior year of basketball and will undoubtedly break a few more records before he's through.
Whitaker said he considered a number of colleges, but liked the comfort level he felt when he visited Ferris.
Jaxson Whitaker, who will play basketball at Ferris State University.
“I had six offers, I talked to two or three more colleges, then I went on a few visits to Ferris and really connected with the players and the coach,” he said. “They really made Ferris feel like home to me.”
Unlike Smith and Anderson, whose high school sports careers are over, Whitaker said there’s still a lot of games to play before he focuses too much on college.
He played football for the Rockets this fall and will play basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.
“High school seems like it’s flying by, but I have a lot of stuff left and I’m excited,” Whitaker said.
