There is something to be said for hanging in there and continuing to battle, even toward the end of a long and sometimes frustrating season.
The Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team, which has been going through the learning stages and enduring a lot of losses this season, kept fighting in a tight game on Thursday and emerged with an exciting 9-8 victory over Grand Rapids Christian.
The Rockets trailed 8-7 with 8:19 left the game, then rallied and won on late goals by Ian Wright and Gabe Feirick.
Wright was the offensive leader of the game with four goals for the Rockets. Cohen Beck had four assists while Wright added two.
R-P's Gabe Feirick, who scored the winning goal.
"What an exciting game!" said R-P Coach Josh Robidoux, whose team is now 4-12 on the season. "We're extremely proud of the fight from our guys tonight. It was a back and forth battle and our defense continued to step up today and not let them gain momentum, while our offense looked the best it's looked all season.
"This is the right time for things to start clicking, and for so many players, tonight they made sure that happened."
Wright and Braedon Monette both scored for the Rockets in the first quarter, which ended in a 2-2 tie.
GR Christian pulled ahead 4-2 in the second quarter, then Owen Greiner and Wright answered with goals and the game was knotted at 4-4 at halftime.
Wright scored once and Jack Bahorski added two goals in the third quarter, and the Rockets led 7-6 heading into the fourth.
R-P's Ian Wright, who had four goals and two assists.
Grand Rapids Christian scored the first two goals in the fourth quarter and led 8-7.
Wright scored to tie the game with 7:39 left, then Feirick netted the game winner with 5:36 remaining.
Goalkeeper Gavin Wright was credited for making a lot of key saves that made the victory possible.
"Gabe Feirick stepped up for us at the faceoff and has continued to improve every single game," Robidoux said. "His grit and ability to carry the ball through pressure as a freshmen has really impressed us.
"Gavin Wright played a great game and made some incredible saves tonight, including multiple stuffs on the doorstep, which are so difficult to deal with as a goalie.
"Ian Wright played incredibly well, moving the ball, finding openings, and burying them every time he had the chance. Our other offensive players keyed in on the windows he was creating and made some great passes to him."
The Rockets will host West Ottawa on Monday, then will host a pre-regional game against Coopersville on Wednesday.