MUSKEGON – A team can only suffer so many self-inflicted wounds before it becomes too much.
That's particularly true in big rivalry games against really good opponents.
But it happened to the Reeths-Puffer football squad on Friday in a 45-14 road loss to O-K Green Conference rival Muskegon at Hackley Stadium.
The Rockets coughed up four fumbles and threw one interception in the loss, pretty much eliminating any chance for victory.
R-P's Ke'Ondre Sanders tries to escape a tackle. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“We’ve got to find ways to limit those mistakes, then at some point in time we have to just flat out eliminate them," said R-P head coach Cody Kater.
The Rockets moved the ball on the opening possession of the game, but the promising drive eventually stalled and led to a punt.
The Big Reds took advantage right away.
They faced a third-and-eight from their own 29 when quarterback Cordell O’Leary launched a 71-yard touchdown pass, giving Muskegon a 6-0 lead with 6:36 left in the opening quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Rockets fumbled the ball for the first time of the night, setting Muskegon up at the R-P 32-yard line.
R-P's Paul Smith (22) tries to make a tackle. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Four plays later, the Big Reds rushed in a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 13-0 with 4:17 left in the opening quarter.
The Rockets got the ball back and marched all the way to the Big Red one-yard line, before a fumble on a fourth down exchange ended the drive on the first play of the second quarter.
The two teams traded possessions throughout the rest of the quarter, and the score remained 13-0 at halftime.
“It was about moments," Kater said about what his team might have accomplished in the first half. “We talked about that at halftime, and said how we needed to take advantage of moments.
“We didn’t capitalize on them in the first half, and they did with theirs, which was the difference in the first half.”
R-P's Jamichael Williams finds running room. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Muskegon marched 65 yards over 12 plays on the opening drive of the third quarter, and took a 19-0 lead on a three-yard touchdown run by O’Leary.
The rest of the third quarter was scoreless, and the game still seemed to be in reach for R-P.
The Rockets finally broke through with an eight-yard touchdown run by Jamichael Williams with 11:52 remaining in the game, making the score 19-7.
But Muskegon struck right back, extended the lead to 25-7 with a touchdown with 9:26 left, then recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up its offense at the Rocket 31-yard line.
Three plays later O’Leary broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run, and a two-point conversion made the score 33-7.
R-P's Braylon Swain throws a pass. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Reeths-Puffer fumbled again on its next possession, this time setting Muskegon up at the R-P 31.
Two plays later, Muskegon scored again, making the score 39-7 with 7:27 left.
The Rockets struck one more time, marching 75 yards on 13 plays and capping the drive with a 17-yard TD pass from quarterback Braylon Swain to Williams.
Muskegon returned the following kickoff 92-yards for a touchdown to ultimately make the final score 45-14.
Reeths-Puffer was outscored 26-14 in the fourth quarter, which was disappointing to Kater.
R-P's Brendan Guikema tries to get past defenders. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“In all phases we have to be better in the fourth quarter,” the coach said. “They turned it up, and we’ve been talking about needing to do that. We haven’t found a way to do that yet, and it makes things really difficult.”
Reeths-Puffer running back Ke'Ondre Sanders ran for 110 yards on 18 carries while Swain was 18-of-25 passing for 182 yards and one touchdown.
Williams totaled 60 yards on seven catches while Brendan Guikema totaled 63 yards on four catches.
Paul Smith and Bobby Gamble led the R-P defense with four tackles apiece.
The Rockets are now 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. They’ll host Mona Shores in another conference rivalry matchup next Friday.
