MUSKEGON TWP. - What started out as a quarterback competition on the Reeths-Puffer football team has turned into a quarterback duo.
Heading into the season, junior Braylon Swain beat out sophomore Cole Piper for the starting QB job and did pretty well, throwing 10 touchdown passes through the first five games.
But Piper, a talented young player, started sharing a few snaps two weeks ago in a victory over Grand Rapids Union, when he was not playing running back and piling up 163 yards of rushing.
Then last Friday, against Forest Hills Northern, Piper and Swain shared the QB duties, with Piper playing the entire first half, and both of them taking snaps in the second in a 40-27 loss.
Braylon Swain drops back to throw last Friday. Photo/Jeremy Clark
It’s a look that R-P fans will probably see again on Friday when the Rockets travel to Byron Center in another O-K Green conference matchup.
The idea is to get the running game moving better with the speedy Piper under center, still have the passing threat with Swain, and keep opposing defensive coordinators confused and nervous.
Against FHN, the Rockets moved the ball pretty well on the ground with Piper calling the signals, although they didn’t manage to score in the first half.
Piper did score a touchdown on a 14-yard yard quarterback keeper in the second half. He finished with 61 yards on 13 carries.
Swain completed 10 of 12 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns, including a 3-yard toss to Paul Smith, a 13-yard strike to Mason Darke and a 7-yard pass to Ja’Michael Williams.
Cole Piper (3) calls signals while playing quarterback on Friday. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Overall the offense was definitely productive under the new arrangement, accumulating 272 total yards and 17 first downs. R-P ended up running 53 offensive plays, compared to 47 for FHN.
The Rockets were also 5-for-9 in third down conversions, 2-for-4 on fourth down, and had no turnovers.
R-P head coach Cody Kater said he was pleased with the way things worked out, despite the final score.
“I would say we are trying to identify ways to move the ball more effectively with the run game,” he said. “Earlier in the season we were having too many slow starts. Our assessment is that we found a way to move the ball. Now we need to find ways to reduce the penalties, particularly the big ones that move us back 15 yards.”
Looking to give Bulldogs another battle
The Rockets will almost certainly have to click on offense again against Byron Center, because the Bulldogs can be counted on to score their share of points.
In the last two weeks, they scored 42 in an exciting win over Mona Shores and 49 in a victory over Grand Rapids Union.
That should surprise nobody, because last year Byron Center scored at least 30 points in 11 different games en route to a share of the O-K Green conference title, a 12-2 overall record and an appearance in the Division 2 state finals.
The Rockets celebrate with Paul Smith (33) after his first varsity touchdown. Photo/Jeremy Clark
At first glance, the Bulldogs don’t seen quite so scary this year, with a 3-3 record. They lost three of their first four games, against powerful teams from Hudsonville, East Kentwood and Muskegon. But they have also won three of their last four, and seem to be playing like themselves again, according to Kater.
“They have a lot of players back on that roster from last year,” Kater said. “They lost some key guys, but through the season they have obviously gotten better. They have found an identity within the last three weeks. It looks like they were scrambling at the beginning, but they have settled in.”
Kater believes his Rockets can compete with the Bulldogs, and he has evidence to back it up. Last year, his two-win R-P squad went to-to-toe with powerful BC for three quarters before finally falling 42-28.
“We are thinking it’s going to be a dogfight again,” the coach said, “Hopefully we will bring our A game again and execute in big moments, which we did last year for three quarters. Hopefully we will find a result that everyone is looking for.”
Defense needs to have a good night
A big key for the Rockets on Friday will be improved defensive play.
The R-P defense did fine in the first half against Forest Hills Northern, only giving up one touchdown, but part of that was because the Rocket offense controlled the ball for much of the half and ate a lot of clock.
In the second half the Huskies scored five offensive touchdowns, including one on a 39-yard run and one on a 20-yard pass. The R-P offense scored a lot, too, but the defense couldn’t get a stop to even things out.
Overall the defense gave up 267 rushing yards.
The Rockets drew a huge crowd last Friday for the homecoming game. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Kater said one issue is the lack of ability to regroup quickly after giving up a big play or encountering other misfortunes.
“In the first half they played really well, kind of bend-but-not-break,” the coach said about the defense. “But we have to work on an effective response system. When we had a penalty against us, or the opponent had a long gain, we lost focus, especially toward the end of the game.”
Kater also pointed to R-P’s 10 penalties for 73 yards, and several special teams mishaps, as factors in the loss.
Overall, however, he said he continues to see development in his young 2-4 team, which had nine sophomores in the starting lineup on Friday. He was particularly pleased with the way the Rockets kept battling, even after falling behind by 20 points in the third quarter.
“I have seen progress,” Kater said. “I have also seen better identity, in terms of where we’re going and what we’re trying to execute. It’s frustrating for the kids to put all the work in and not get the result they have been working for.”