MUSKEGON TWP. - The Reeths-Puffer football team prepared for the season with a very good senior quarterback returning, along with several good receivers, so the Rockets figured the passing game was in good shape.
The coaches just weren’t sure what to do about the ground game.
There had some decent running backs, to be sure, but nobody with the kind of speed and agility to break big runs and potentially change the course of games.
Then they started noticing Ke’Ondre Sanders, a senior who was relatively new to the school, and who was supposed to be a receiver this season.
R-P's Ke'Ondre Sanders
After watching him for a week or two, R-P head coach Cody Kater and the entire team quickly realized that Sanders was the guy.
So he was moved to running back - a position he had never played before, and didn’t really want to play - and the results have spoken for themselves.
He has given the R-P offense a balanced and dangerous attack. Now the Rockets can beat opponents through the air and on the ground, which they have done well in their good weeks.
That combination will keep coming in handy over the next three weeks, as R-P, now 3-3 with three games remaining, tries to finish the regular season with a winning record and secure a spot in the state playoffs.
“It was becoming clear to everyone that when he has the ball in his hands, he’s able to break a play at any time,” Kater said. "It was clear to everyone that we had to find a way to get the ball in this guy’s hands as much as possible.
“He kind of just knew what to do. I wasn’t sure he was ready to get hit a lot and play that physical game, but he has found ways to make it his own. He definitely has made it work. He has his own style of running.”
Sanders, who had been a quarterback and slot receiver in his previous years of football, was not excited about the position change, but was willing to give it a try.
“It was weird at first,” he said. “I really didn’t want to play it. I had never really played it, and it was something I didn’t mess with. But since Coach Kater had me try it out, it’s gone smooth.”
Lots of big games so far
That’s an understatement, to say the least.
In R-P’s season opener against Greenville, Sanders established himself as a dual threat out of the backfield, rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and catching four passes for 94 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown reception.
He put up more good numbers in Week 2, in a 17-14 loss to Grand Haven, rushing for 62 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown, despite being severely limited by heat-induced cramping.
Sanders really cut loose in Week 3, gaining 173 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in R-P’s 28-21 victory at Grand Rapids Northview.
He was at his very best at the end of the game, breaking a 33-yard run to flip the field and set up the winning touchdown, which he ending up scoring from four yards out with 1:43 left on the clock.
“I was just thinking, be patient and follow my blockers,” Sanders said about the game-changing run. “Then I saw green grass and took off from there. I just saw my blockers do their job and it ended up well for me. The play was executed really well.”
Kater saw something more about Sanders in that game, and particularly that play.
“As the game wore on, he kind of turned it up a notch,” the coach said. “He started running with a sense of violence that maybe he had not shown before. When the moment arises, some people find that enjoyable and want to showcase themselves, and he is a guy who really leaned into it.. He showed another notch we didn’t know he had.”
The next two weeks were really tough for the Rockets, who lost to rivals Muskegon 45-14 and Mona Shores 42-13.
But even in those games, Sanders still found running room, gaining 111 yards on 18 carries with a long run of 66 yards against the Big Reds, and 83 yards on 13 carries against the Sailors, with an eight-yard touchdown reception.
Last week, in R-P's bounce-back win against Grand Rapids Union, Sanders and a lot of other Rockets were clicking offensively. He carried the ball eight times for 70 yards, with two touchdowns.
“Against Shores, we were trying to get back in the game by throwing a lot, so he didn't get a lot of carries, but he still got his yards,” Kater said. “In the Muskegon game he was battling body cramps and he was not at his best mentally, but he showed some real courage.”
More than just talented
Kater said Sanders has actually brought a lot more than just his talent to the Rockets. He has also proven to be a real leader.
“He has brought everyone closer together with his attitude and charisma,” the coach said. “He is able to have quality conversations with his teammates because they look up to him. He makes sure guys are still feeling good about themselves when they do something wrong on the field, or when they are struggling.
“He has also brought a sense of accountability throughout the locker room. He’s not afraid to admit when he messes up, and that’s trickled down to the rest of the guys.”
Sanders is eager to plow into the last three games of the regular season, starting with a very important matchup on Friday night at Forest Hills Northern.
He believes the Rockets have turned the corner after the two rivalry losses, and are ready to play their best football down the stretch.
“We’re very determined,” Sanders said. “We’ve got that grit. We’re very determined to be a playoff team. I know it was a tough past two years for this team, and we’re trying to have the best impact we can have, as seniors and as a group. I’m just going to continue to try and do my part to make it happen.
“It felt good to get back into the winning column and spirit. After those two losses our season began. We have to be a team and continue to execute on all levels as one unit.”
Regardless of what happens in the coming weeks, Sanders is grateful for the way the season has panned out, and the new opportunities that came his way with the Rockets.
“I definitely hated running back at first, but it’s grown on me a lot,” he said. “I’m starting to love the position. I love it just as much as quarterback In the past.
“I feel like my season is going well. I feel like I’ve been performing well and living up to the Reeths-Puffer standard. I feel like I can do way more as an individual on this team.
“I’m thankful to be here and to have met Coach Kater. He’s poured a lot into me and showed me what a coach is. I’m thankful for him giving me a chance.”
