The suddenly successful Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team has a number of ambitious goals for this season, and now the first one has been crossed off the list.
After losing the last three meetings, the Rockets finally beat Mona Shores 13-11 on Saturday to recapture the Lumbertown Lax Jam Battle for the Axe.
The axe is the trophy that goes to the winner of the R-P-Shores rivalry matchup every year. The Sailors had won the axe every year since 2021. Reeths-Puffer last won it in 2019 and there was no game in 2020 due to COVID.
R-P's Kyler Brainard, who scored five goals.
Kyler Brainard led R-P with five goals while Carson Cooper added three. Goalie Gavin Wright played a strong game in net, particularly in the first half.
The victory was the fifth in a row for the Rockets, who are now 5-3 on the season.
“It feels incredible to win back the Axe for the first time since 2019,” said R-P Coach Josh Robidoux. “The Sailors have had our number the past few years, but we knew this time things would be different. These seniors have had to watch their rivals celebrate after the game for their full high school careers. More than anything, I wanted this one for them.”
The big win did not come easily. R-P jumped out to a huge 7-0 lead after one quarter, then had to hold off a furious Mona Shores comeback in the second half.
R-P's Carson Cooper, who scored three goals.
R-P’s seven unanswered goals in the first quarter came in order from Owen Greiner, Cooper, Ian Wright, Brainard, Griener, then two in a row from Brainard.
“We knew coming into this game that we had to start fast and bring the fight to them,” Robidoux said. “Shores is not a team that you want to be fighting from behind against. The guys did just that, playing an absolutely dominant first half.
"Gavin Wright made some phenomenal saves in the start on multiple opportunities that typically result in goals. It kept our energy and momentum churning, and left room for our offense to keep exploiting the gaps in their defense."
Mona Shores scored the first two goals of the second quarter, then Cooper, Brainard and Cohen Beck responded with tallies for R-P, leaving the Rockets with a 10-2 lead at halftime.
R-P goalie Gavin Wright
The Sailors came back hard in the second half. They outscored R-P 4-2 in the third quarter, and the Rockets led 12-6 headed into the fourth. Cooper and Brainard found the net in the third for Reeths-Puffer.
Mona Shores made its big push in the fourth quarter, scoring the first four goals to make the score 12-10. Brooks Johnson scored a late goal for R-P, then the Sailors scored once more, but could get no closer.
“We knew they would make a lot of adjustments at halftime and we wouldn't get those same looks on offense,” Robidoux said. “Our message at halftime was to keep doing your job, keep fighting, and control what you can control. They put in a very aggressive 10-man ride on the transition from offense to defense that resulted in a lot more turnovers. We weren't getting many looks to get the ball from defense to offense, which can get frustrating for a defense.
”That's where the mental toughness had to kick in, and we stepped up when it counted.”
The Rockets will host Coopersville on Tuesday.