It’s easy to picture Reeths-Puffer names occupying top spots in the boys conference cross country standings, a few years down the road.
For now, however, the mostly young Rockets are finishing pretty much in the middle of the pack, with a lot of learning and growing still ahead of them.
As a team, the R-P boys finished fifth out of six teams on Thursday in the first O-K Green conference meet of the season. The Rockets finished with 152 points, 19 ahead of Muskegon.
R-P's Dylan Sturr
Jenison took first place, followed by Caledonia, Byron Center and Mona Shores.
Leading the Rockets was senior Dylan Sturr, who finished 52nd in a field of 128 runners with a time of 19:37.
Then came the youngsters – freshman Gabriel Luna (54th, 19:47), freshman Landon Learn (57th, 19:56), sophomore Kyron Novak (73rd, 20:42) and freshman Max Bellinger (96th, 22:37).
R-P's Gabe Luna*0
“Our fifth place finish in the conference isn't where I want to be as a team, but with this young team in a super competitive conference, it’s simply where we are at,” said R-P Coach Darin Grant.
Coach Grant listed several positive developments, including the fact that 12 of the 14 R-P runners who competed in the meet ran their fastest times of the season, and two new runners have joined the team, providing more competition for everyone.
"It goes back to last week’s theme – results happen over time, not overnight," he said. "Work hard, stay consistent and be patient, with an emphasis on patience."0