MUSKEGON TWP. - In the first two seasons under head coach Cody Kater, the Reeths-Puffer football program has been on an exciting upswing.
After posting a 3-6 record in the season before Kater arrived, the Rockets followed with marks of 6-4 and 7-3 in in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and qualified for the state playoffs both years.
It was the first time in program history that R-P football made the playoffs for two straight seasons.
That sort of positive trajectory, while competing in a very tough conference, suggests a team and a program very much on the rise.
Much of the success, particularly last season, was due to the performance of a great class of football players who graduated in June – guys like running back Brody Johnson, linebacker Caiden Bolduc, big-armed quarterback Antrel Jones, and standout receivers like Bryce Ross, Travis Ambrose and Jaxson Whitaker.
They and their classmates are all gone now, opening the door of opportunity for a lot of new faces in the R-P starting lineup.
How the new guys perform, particularly at the crucial offensive skill positions, will determine if R-P can maintain its forward progress and qualify for the playoffs for a third straight season.
It won’t be an easy task in 2024, because the Rockets will play eight teams that qualified for the playoffs last season, including two defending state champions.
It all starts on Thursday night, when R-P will open the season by visiting Division 3 state champion Forest Hills Central.
Kater says the goal remains the same - to remain competitive and constantly improve - even with a lot of tough games and inexperienced guys cutting their teeth.
“I would definitely see this as a year we continue to try to build on the progress we’ve made, but each year is different,” he said. “We are trying to do our best to get guys in the right spots, find out where their strengths are, find better opportunities for them and limit their weaknesses.
“Our boys have been putting in the work in the offseason, knowing it’s going to be different. We know it’s going to look different and feel different. All we can do is prepare and fall back on our training and habits.”
OFFENSE
Inexperience will definitely be a question mark on offense, where only four starters return this season.
The simple fact is that nobody on the new R-P offense has yet to score a touchdown at the varsity level.
That doesn’t mean there’s a lack of talent, or that the Rockets won’t score a lot, but the time has arrived for the new starters to produce.
It begins at quarterback, where Mason Darke, a junior transfer student with some varsity experience at Montague, will become the new signal-caller.
While Darke will be learning on the job, he is going to be a dual threat QB who has the potential to hurt opponents in different ways, according to Kater.
New R-P quarterback Mason Darke
“He fits in with the team very well, he leads with his actions and he’s understanding the playbook and our expectations for that position,” Kater said. “He’s someone other kids will follow.
“He’s a little bit more of a dual threat quarterback from what we’ve had. He can throw the ball and can definitely use his feet. He’s able to get the ball out of his hands, sees the whole field and knows where it needs to go. He has shown the most growth from the beginning of summer to right now.”
After three years of watching power-runner Brody Johnson excel as the Rockets’ main ball carrier, fans will now see a lot of sophomore running back Bryce Muskovin, who was the leading rusher for the junior varsity last year as a freshman.
Muskovin has all the talent necessary to inherit the job from Johnson and help move the ball down the field, according to Kater.
“We’re excited to see where he’s at,” Kater said about Muskovin. “He was very noticeable for anyone who was watching our JV team last year. He’s physically explosive and has great vision. He’s a much different runner than Brody. He’s thin but explosive and he’s capable of finishing runs. He’s much stronger than he looks.”
Sophomore running back Bryce Muskovin
Several others in the offensive backfield will see the ball, as well. That list includes senior Ethan Muskovin, who will back up his younger brother at running back and also see action at slot receiver.
Another key running back/slot receiver is junior Marvin Moore, who is known to R-P basketball fans as a thin sharpshooting guard.
“He’s been getting stronger and stronger,” Kater said about Moore. “He’s a very smart athlete and a leader. He moved up to varsity last year as a sophomore.”
The H-back position will be held down by senior Sage Secrest, a multiple-position player and one of the team's main leaders.
Kater noted that he has had two new starting wide receivers in both of his seasons at R-P, and that will be the case again this year.
Marvin Moore
One new starter will be sophomore Connor McManus, whom Kater describes as a “tall, thin explosive runner who can definitely catch the ball.” The other will be senior Lukas Johnson, who started in the defensive secondary last year and will be a two-way starter this fall.
The really comforting news on offense is that the line, which of course makes all success possible, will have a lot of experience, with four starters returning from last year.
They are seniors Nate Dollaway, Ben Adams, Noah Sapone and Cooper Kejonen.
Seniors Dalton Radosa and JaVon Plummer will also get a lot of playing time up front.
“We know that they are not the heaviest of guys, and they are going to run into some big defensive lines, but we have a lot of experience there,” Kater said about the line. “They have looked real good in camp together.”
DEFENSE
The defense should be pretty sound, with six starters or significant role players returning from last year.
Much of that experience comes at linebacker, where the multi-talented Secrest will step into the middle position that was occupied by Bolduc, a prolific performer who led the R-P defense in tackles each of the past two seasons.
Also returning will be senior linebacker Elliot Scheider, who started to become a real impact player last year, and junior Cal Millis, who was in the starting lineup as a sophomore.
Senior Sam Hillin will also play a prominent role.
Elliot Schneider
“There’s a lot of experience with the linebackers,” Kater said. “They have played a lot of football. I am excited about that group.”
The defensive secondary also will have some skilled veterans.
Lukas Johnson (who will also start on offense) and Shaun Haley (who was a starting cornerback last season) will man the safety positions, with Ethan Muskovin rotating in. Moore, another two-way starter, will play in one of the cornerback slots, with several others also vying for playing time.
The defensive line will be a little less experienced, with Plummer the only returning starter.
Senior returnees Joe Dahlke and Alex Alvarado and junior Gus Pulos-Siegel will see a lot of playing time on the three-man D-line, as well as several guys from the offensive line, including Adams.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
The new-look Rockets will be tested right away with some very strong opponents in the first three weeks.
After opening on the road against defending state champion FH Central, Rockets will host Caledonia and Spring Lake, in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. Caledonia was a state finalist two years ago and both were playoff teams last year.
The Rockets’ other non-conference opponent will be Forest Hills Eastern, yet another playoff team, in Week 9.
The reconfigured O-K Green conference will also be a challenge. The Rockets will still be competing against defending Division 2 state champion Muskegon and local powerhouse Mona Shores, two rivals they have pushed in Kater’s two seasons, but have not beaten.
Sage Secrest
A few opponents from the old O-K Green are gone – always-tough Zeeland West and Zeeland East, along with Holland and Wyoming.
The new conference foes will be Byron Center and Forest Hills Northern, who will replace the two Zeelands as speed bumps in the schedule.
Byron Center was 10-2 last year and won a district championship. Forest Hills Northern was 6-4 and made the playoffs.
The new O-K Greenwill be smaller – with six teams instead of eight – which is why R-P will have four non-conference games rather than three.
But fewer games will not make the conference competition any easier, according to Kater.
Lukas Johnson
“It’s been pretty tough the last two years,” Kater said when asked about the entire schedule. “Maybe non-conference was not as tough as it will be this year. We beefed that up to try to get ourselves prepared for the conference season. The (non-conference opponents) are all strong programs that made the playoffs last year."
When specifically asked about the new O-K Green, Kater said “Northern and Byron Center have been on the rise. They have really been tough, and Byron Center has been tough for the last decade. We are doing our best to prepare for the week-in and week-out grind. But we’re excited, because we know the tough opponents will help us grow our program, no matter what.”