Just think, a year ago the Reeths-Puffer lacrosse team finished with a 4-12 record and was nowhere close to competing for any trophies.
Now the Rockets, with a lot of the same players, have won three games in a row and are leading their conference.
The latest success came on Tuesday night when the Rockets beat Jenison 9-5.
Kyler Brainard and Carson Cooper both recorded three-goal hat tricks to lead the R-P offense. Owen Greiner and JT Fansler each had two assists.
Kyler Brainard
“Overall, the guys played a great game tonight,” said R-P Coach Josh Robidoux, whose team is 3-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play. “While there are still things we're looking to clean up, Jenison is a solid team, and I felt like we outplayed them for 90 percent of this game. It feels good to secure a win and take our place at the top of the conference standings.”
Brainard and Cooper each scored two goals in the first quarter and Reeths-Puffer led 4-0 heading into the second.
Jenison scored the only two goals of the second quarter.
The Rockets outscored the Wildcats 4-1 in the third quarter to take an 8-4 lead. Finding the net for R-P were Luke Callender, Brooks Johnson, Brainard and Cohen Beck.
Carson Cooper
Jenison scored once in the fourth quarter, then Cooper completed the scoring with his third tally.
“Their goalie played very well tonight, but we've got a great goalie of our own,” Robidoux said. “Gavin Wright had a phenomenal game in net and had some excellent precision with his passing downfield, which led to a lot of quick offensive possessions. Luke Callender also had a dominant game at faceoff, winning us some key possessions.
“I appreciate the heart our guys put into each game, and the support they show one another. It's hard to quantify the ‘it’ factor this team has, but I've reiterated time and time again that they're capable of great things if they stay the course. The buy-in from them is incredible. We have a big week ahead of us, and I feel like we're almost hitting our stride on the way to being the elite team that I see us as.”
The Rockets will visit East Kentwood on Thursday and Mona Shores on Saturday.