With the winter high school sports season drawing to a close, the Reeths-Puffer boys bowling team can look back on its 2025-26 effort as one that started out as a bit of a disappointment, but ended with some very strong performances that took the Rockets all the way to the state finals.
The Rockets, with a five-senior starting lineup, expected to compete for a conference title, but underperformed and had a 7-5-1 overall record in its dual match season, with a 5-4-1 mark in conference play.
But they started playing well as the regular season wound down, beating rival Mona Shores in the final dual match, then catapulting to second place in the final O-K Green standings with a very strong performance at the conference postseason tournament.
Liam Copenhaver and Tanner Bahr earned first team All-Conference honors, based on their season averages. Ryleigh Beebe and Karsen Boeskool were honorable mention All-Conference.
Liam Copenhaver, who was All-Conference and the GMAA individual champion.
Copenhaver also had a very big day during the regular season when he won the individual championship at the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament.
R-P continued its late rebound in the postseason, stunning the field by winning a Division 2 regional championship and qualifying for the team state finals. Carter Hekkema bounced back from a quiet regular season and qualified for the individual state finals for the second year in a row.
R-P wrapped everything up last weekend at the state finals at the Century Bowl in Waterford with some pretty strong results.
In the team competition, the Rockets finished ninth out of 16 teams and barely missed the tournament playoffs, which included only the top eight teams.
Carter Hekkema, who was a state finals qualifier for the second year in a row.
They were in sixth place through six baker games, and eighth place after all eight baker games. They remained in eighth after the first regular game, then dropped to ninth after the second and final game.
They finished 22 points behind the eighth-place team.
“We put ourselves in a good position after the baker games, but ultimately didn't quite bowl well enough in the regular games to move on,” said R-P head coach Craig Alderink. “We had a solid day overall, but it was a little disappointing to be so close and come up short of our goal of making it into the match play round.”
Hekkema bowled well in the early rounds of the individual state tournament, but failed to qualify for the playoffs.
“I am extremely proud of these young men and the things they accomplished this season.” Alderink said. “They were able to earn R-P's first regional championship in boys bowling since 2012. They finished in second place in the O-K Green behind a Division 1 state-ranked team.
"All five seniors earned tournament medals this year and postseason conference accolades. They made memories together that they can be proud of for the rest of their lives.”