MUSKEGON TWP. - The easiest way to win football games is to score more than a few points, and to score enough points, a healthy running game is pretty necessary.
That was something that the Reeths-Puffer football team was lacking for three of its first four games of the season. When the Rockets moved the ball in losses to Forest Hills Central, Caledonia and Mona Shores, it was mostly through the air.
But that changed last week when R-P went on the road to face Grand Rapids Union. R-P piled up 238 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 39-7 victory.
Cole Piper (3) on the run against GR Union. Photo/Tyler Lirones
The difference has a name – Cole Piper – a speedy sophomore who can do some exciting things with the ball in his hands.
Piper ran for 163 yards on 16 carries and rushed for two touchdowns, including one for 45 yards. He also flashed his abilities with an exciting 42-yard punt return touchdown.
Piper will almost certainly come in handy on Friday, when the Rockets finally return home after four weeks on the road to host Forest Hills Northern in an O-K Green conference matchup.
Piper was the kid who battled Braylon Swain for the starting quarterback job throughout the offseason. Swain won that competition, and Piper has been starting on defense all season, but the R-P coaches knew they would eventually find a role – or numerous roles – for him in the offense.
Piper tries to avoid a tackler. Photo/Tyler Lirones
That happened in a big way last Friday, when Piper played a few snaps at quarterback, many more at running back, and did a lot of damage.
“We’ve been harping as a staff about how we had only ran for something like 330 yards all season,” said R-P head coach Cody Kater. “Cole has been working very hard, doing everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s been getting more comfortable out there.
“He was all over the field on Friday, but I don’t think that’s the peak of what we’re going to see from him.”
R-P defense also had a breakout game
While Piper and the R-P offense had some big plays against Union, the defense buckled down and had what was easily its best game of the season.
R-P held the Red Hawks to just 155 total offensive yards, including 82 through the air and 73 on the ground. The defense also limited Union to nine first downs, and only allowed the home team to convert on 3 of 13 third down plays.
The defense also had a fumble recovery and an interception.
R-P's Devin Welch (53), Hudson Roberts (90) and Garrett Olejarczyk (44). Photo/Tyler Lirones
Cal Millis led the way with five tackles, Hudson Roberts had three and Devin Welch and Brody Wynsma each had two. Millis and Welch each had one sack, Welch had two tackles for losses, while Millis and Roberts each had one.
“The moments that stuck out for me, coming out of halftime, is when we had two fourth-and-short stops,” Kater said about the defense. “The kids were playing in the moment, understanding the moment and executing. Our defensive staff have been working their tails off, and the players have been pushing themselves hard in practice.
“They have definitely been making progress. There is a lot of inexperience, with five sophomores starting over there, and only two guys with any real varsity experience, but as we get deeper into the season, we expect them to perform better.”
Could be a good matchup at Rocket Stadium
The Rockets will need to have similar success on offense and defense to beat Forest Hills Northern.
FHN, like Reeths-Puffer, will come into the game with a 2-3 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the conference standings.
Like R-P, the Huskies started the season with two straight losses, 31-28 to Kenowa Hills and 23-7 to Jenison. They won their next two, 42-10 over Forest Hills Central and 49-19 over GR Union, before losing to Muskegon 41-20 last Friday.
The Rockets celebrate a touchdown. Photo/Tyler Lirones
The Rockets and the Huskies are teams that have had their struggles and tasted some success, so it could be a pretty good battle at Rocket Stadium.
“They are big and physical up front, they have two guys that go both ways who could give us trouble, a quarterback who can make plays with his feet, and they are well-coached,” Kater said. “Just like any game in the O-K conference, it’s going to be a battle, and we are definitely going to have our hands full up front with how physical they are.
“They are a little more senior-led, we’re a little more sophomore-led, and it will be interesting to see those two worlds collide. They definitely have some guys on both sides of the ball who really stuck out on film, and we will have to be prepared for them.”
Trying to avoid a repeat of last season
With two wins in their last three games, one might expect the Rockets to have gained a degree of confidence, despite the fact that they have been starting nearly a dozen sophomores.
Kater said overall team confidence is still a work in progress, but the Rockets sure seemed calm and collected against GR Union after the Red Hawks marched down the field on their first possession, scored a touchdown and took a 6-0 lead.
It was all R-P after that.
R-P's Hunter Adams dives to make a tackle. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“It was their homecoming and they had a big crowd, but I wasn’t worried,” Kater said. “More importantly, the kids showed that they weren’t worried, either. I was happy to see them respond the way they did.”
The Rockets are now looking for their third victory of the season, which would top last year’s total of two wins.
To differentiate themselves from last year’s team, the Rockets will have to avoid repeating the nosedive that occurred in 2024, when R-P beat GR Union for its second win - just like this year - then lost all of its remaining games.
After Friday, R-P will travel to Byron Center, then will play Muskegon and Forest Hills Eastern at home.
Cal Millis (left) fights for yards behind R-P blockers. Photo/Tyler Lirones
So how important is it for the team to win more games than last year?
The actual number of wins is not as important as showing continual improvement in all phases of the game, Kater said.
“It’s important for the seniors, who want to be better than the group was last year, just because of how things unraveled,” the coach said. “But as a team, we’re just focused on the process – how can we find ways to improve? We have continued to show improvement, but this week will be a huge test, between two pretty similar programs.
“More success with the process will lead to more confidence, and more confidence will lead to more victories.”