MSUKEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer football player Bryce Shaver is the ultimate team-first guy.
He gives 100 percent in practice, and goes all out whenever he gets the chance to play in games, which is usually for only a few plays on special teams.
He simply loves playing R-P football – whatever his role might be - and he’s definitely not the type to raise his voice or complain in any way.
But Shaver, like all of the seniors, wants to experience some success in his final year, and after last Friday’s painful 48-7 loss to Mona Shores, he felt like he had to speak up.
R-P's Bryce Shaver
It happened in the minutes after the game when the Rockets, still in the locker room at Mona Shores High School, had an impromptu discussion about regrouping and moving forward.
Shaver noted that all of the Rockets hear from a lot of critics who don’t expect them to win, and said they sometimes “play like we’re afraid of proving them right.”
His words caught the attention of R-P head coach Cody Kater, who completely agreed.
Shaver (8) makes a block against Spring Lake.
“The first time he spoke up was on Friday night, and he pointed out that we don’t seem to play and execute nearly as well on Friday night (compared to practice),” Kater said. “People are telling us we’re not any good, that we’re going to lose, and we play timid because we’re afraid of proving them right, instead of doing everything we can to prove them wrong.”
Shaver said he decided to share his thoughts when he looked around at all the unhappy faces following a rivalry game in front of a big crowd that went south on the Rockets pretty quickly.
“I just saw a lot of guys looking down, and I thought it was time to speak up,” he said. “Throughout our community, some people say ‘Oh are you guys going to lose again?’ and I kind of think it gets in our minds a little bit. I just wanted to point out, we should go out there swinging, and if we lose we lose, but at least we lost swinging.
Shaver during team drills on Wednesday.
“I think, in my grade especially, the guys may feel a little bit more uneasy. Like (teammate Cal Millis) said, when other teams show up, we look a lot more tired than we do in practice, like maybe there’s a little bit of doubt. Sometimes by the second half we shake that off a little bit, but sometimes that’s too late.
“I just wanted to say that I know we have more to put on the table. We just need to drop all of it and leave it all out there. We can’t be heavy-headed on the field.”
Kater hopes Shaver’s words have an impact.
“I believe the other athletes were surprised to hear from him, which made his words even more powerful,” the coach said. “I hope that they will reflect on the comments and use it to their benefit moving forward.”
'We can get it done'
The degree to which Shaver cares about his team says a lot about his character.
There are a lot of guys who would have walked away from football by their senior year, when it became clear that regular playing time was something they wouldn't experience.
But as Shaver points out, he’s been playing football in the Reeths-Puffer program since he was in the fourth grade, and it’s a big part of his life.
“I was playing flag football, and my dad said I should really try regular football, so I did and I’ve been in love with it ever since,” he said. “I sure am going to miss it.”
Shaver in action against Spring Lake, when R-P won its first game of the season.
His contributions are important, but they don’t bring him much attention. In games he plays on the kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return units, and during practice he’s part of the “scout team” that impersonates the opponent, so the first-string players can get reps and prepare for the coming game.
“It’s just my pure love of the game, and my love for my brothers out there,” Shaver said. “I would not want to go into battle with anyone else. They’ve been with me pretty much my whole life. I don’t want to let them down, so I will do whatever I can do, play on the scout team, or whenever they call me on the field. I just want to support the team.”
Kater says players like Shaver are the backbone of the program.
“He enjoys all of what football gives to him and asks nothing more out of it,” the coach said. “It’s guys like Bryce that bring the coaches back to the field, each and every year. The coaches understand the power of football and how it can help shape a life, and to see that lived through guys like Bryce makes the time and the effort worth it in the long run.”
Shaver turns to shake a teammate's hand during practice.
Shaver and his fellow seniors still have five games remaining at R-P, starting on Friday night against Grand Rapids Union at GR’s Houseman Field.
Shaver definitely wants a few more wins to take away as memories, and believes his Rockets can get them.
“We are way tougher than we have shown, and we can get it done,” he said. “I think it’s just a mindset sort of thing. I think we are going to keep growing, and you might see some surprises coming up.”