MUSKEGON TWP. - In the fog of a disappointing 2-7 record last year, some Reeths-Puffer football fans might have forgotten that their team’s main quarterback was actually pretty solid.
Braylon Swain, stepping into the starter’s role after two years as the junior varsity quarterback, put up some good passing numbers in an otherwise frustrating season.
Overall he completed 109 of 166 passes for 1,262 yards and 16 touchdowns. He completed at least 10 passes in all nine games, threw for at least 100 yards and one touchdown in eight games, and ended up earning honorable mention All-Conference honors.
He was really exciting to watch in two games, in particular.
R-P senior quarterback Braylon Swain
The first was on opening night against Forest Hills Central, when he threw two long TD strikes in the fourth quarter – a 33-yarder to Mason Darke and an 18-yarder to Jamichael Williams – to lead an R-P comeback that fell just short in an 18-12 loss.
Swain’s best night was in Week 3 against Spring Lake, when he was on fire.
He started the show by throwing a 79-yard touchdown pass to Darke on the Rockets’ first offensive play from scrimmage. On the first play of the third quarter, with R-P backed up to its own five-yard line, Swain completed a 95-yard scoring pass to Williams.
He added touchdown throws of 21 and 13 yards in the game, and ended up completing 14 of 18 attempts for 321 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-28 victory.
It was the type of performance that Swain likes to look back on as he prepares to lead the Rockets into Thursday's 2026 season-opener at home against Greenville.
“That was something we had planned all week,” Swain, said about the long touchdown pass on the first offensive play. “It was super nice to start like that. That was one game that really boosted my confidence. I felt free and loose.
“I hope I have a lot more like that this year. I felt like wherever I was going with the ball, it was going to be complete.”
Offseason lessons with Kater
Swain is not the sort of athlete to rest on past accomplishments.
That’s why he dove into something new in the offseason – a special quarterback workshop with R-P head coach Cody Kater, which convened three times per week, January through May.
It was the first offseason that Kater dedicated time specifically to the QBs, and he certainly had a lot of accumulated knowledge to share with the program’s young signal-callers.
As a quarterback himself, Kater led his Montague High School team to state championships back in 2008 and 2009, then competed as a Division 1 quarterback at the University of Cincinnati and Central Michigan University.
Swain found the detailed sessions with Kater very valuable, and feels like he’s very prepared to succeed in his senior season.
“I think I have been getting better, and it starts with the little stuff he taught,” Swain said about Kater. “Stuff like footwork and fundamentals like knowing where to be and pocket presence, little things that will help me make more plays this year.
“It was super helpful. He was a Division 1 quarterback, so he knows what he’s talking about, and taking in all the knowledge and information was huge for me.”
Swain’s increased confidence also comes from the fact that he enters the season as the Rockets’ undisputed No. 1 quarterback, which was not always the case last year.
He spent months before last season battling underclassman Cole Piper for the starting job, and only got the nod shortly before the opening game.
Then midway through the season, the coaches started rotating Swain and Piper at quarterback at different points of the games, to change up the offense and keep opposing defenses guessing.
But Piper has transferred to another school, Swain displayed rapid improvement over his productive offseason, and the R-P coaches have a great deal of confidence in their offensive leader.
“He has worked his tail off,” Kater said about Swain. “Last year there was a bit of a quarterback battle, but Braylon owned the locker room the entire time. The kids have always believed in him. They believe he’s their quarterback, and he’s the one they want to go through the battles with.
“He’s humble, kind, a leader and low drama. Our favorite players are high production, low drama.”
Swain said it definitely helps to know that he will be the guy under center this season.
“Last year I would go in, play hard, do my best, and try not to let the outside noise bother me,” he said. "This year I know I’m the guy, and I’m going to be able to take this team as far as we can go. I want that challenge."
'We have the guys to make it happen'
Swain admits that last season was difficult, particularly over the last four weeks, when the Rockets lost every game after a 2-3 start to the season.
“It was super hard,” he said. “It was hard to be in a spot like that. You get to a point where guys start to feel disconnected.”
The worst loss came in the final game of the season, when the Rockets squandered a 14-9 halftime lead and lost 37-22 to Forest Hills Eastern. The way they lost was the worst part, committing 145 yards worth of penalties with three turnovers.
“That game was something that’s been in my mind since that day,” Swain said. “I never want to feel that feeling again. We had like 20 penalties. It was not good, all the way around. Watching the seniors go out that way left a sour taste in my mouth.”
Swain is a firm believer that brighter days are ahead this season, because the Rockets return a lot of experienced players on both sides of the ball.
Many of them were sophomores last year, with no varsity experience, but now they have cut their teeth, grown physically and mentally, and are ready to start showing what they can do.
“I think we have the guys to make it happen,” Swain said. “We had a lot of success in the offseason. We are still not quite to where we want to be, but I think we are getting close to being a legitimate contender. Reeths-Puffer is going to be different this year.”
Swain believes this will probably his last season of organized football. He is the first to admit that he’s not the most naturally gifted athlete, and he has no expectation of playing college football anywhere.
He plans to just be a college student next year, working on his goal of becoming a teacher and coach. But in the meantime, he wants to find out what it’s like to win consistently at the varsity level and make the state playoffs.
"It’s my last year and I want to go out with a bang,” Swain said. “Being successful is the number one thing. My big goal is for us to win a playoff game. That would mean the world to me.”
