Reeths-Puffer football hopes end of last year was a turning point as Rockets close in on season

MUSKEGON — It's been a tough go for Reeths-Puffer the past two seasons, with the Rockets going 2-7 in each of them. The vibes are good in preseason, though, and oddly enough, coach Cody Kater said, it's because of last year's week nine loss.

R-P dropped that game to Forest Hills Eastern 37-22, a game marred by penalties and miscues on the Rockets' end. It was a game Kater said was among the worst he's been involved with in football. And it made the Rockets' coaches, he said, realize what they had to do in the off-season.

"It was a complete self-implosion that I think we'd been working into throughout the season," Kater said. "It's one of those things that I think had to happen for us to recognize two months later, as a staff and as coaches, that we have a lot of work to do off the field so that we can build our person, and build our student, so that they can go out there and compete like we want them to on the field. I think that week nine game was actually, in theory, a turning point.

"I think that was finally a breaking point for the kids that, we can preach all we want to preach about 'R-P versus R-P,' but if we don't live it and we really don't believe in it, it's never going to show up on Friday nights."

If it was a turning point, junior quarterback Braylon Swain will be a big reason why. Swain took over at midseason after the Rockets decided to move now-graduated star Mason Darke to wide receiver, and he gives Kater his first returning starting quarterback since he became the coach. Swain is carrying himself like a returning veteran, too.

"He's the guy in the locker room. He's the guy in the hallways. He's the guy on the field. He's had a great summer," Kater said. "It's clear that he's the guy. Our new offensive coordinator who jumped over from Hudsonville, Michael Shalhoup, he's been great with Braylon and Braylon's been in lockstep with him. I think that's been a huge surge of excitement within our locker room just because of where those guys are at with their conversations."

Swain will be able to throw to two veteran returnees in Jamichael Williams and Brendan Guikema. It will start up front for the Rockets, though, as they figure out the right mix of returners and new faces. An X factor will be James Helferich, a senior who was moved to center and has taken to the position.

"He's never played center, but he has owned it," Kater said. "He's the voice on the line. He's really invested in this process of becoming better."

The most imposing lineman is Srecko Walker, a junior who checks in at 6-6 and 315 pounds. Kater praised Walker's work in physical development, saying "he looks like our shiny toy unicorn." This fall will tell how skilled he has become on the field. Senior Owen Moore and junior Troy Swingley will be in the mix up front as well.

"We've got a little bit of experience in there, but we'll see because they're all learning different spots," Kater said. "I would say that's the biggest question mark that we want to develop throughout this camp."

The defensive anchor is returning all-conference performer Connor McManus, who reminds Kater of former Rocket standout Tayte Vanderleest. McManus can play multiple positions on that side of the ball and appears poised for a big season.

Also back are linebackers Garrison Niklasch and Hunter Adams, both juniors with a wealth of experience. Kater said they have well-earned self-confidence on the field.

"We've got some excitement in there that they've gotten some experience, but also, they have worked hard in the off-season, and they deserve to build some confidence out here and go into week one with a different kind of energy from previous years," Kater said.

The schedule looks different for the Rockets this year, with all four non-conference games changed from 2025. Grand Haven, a previous fixture on the schedule, is back, and the Rockets also face Greenville, Northview and Whitehall. Of the four, only the Vikings made the playoffs last year. That matchup carries local interest and will also match Kater, a Montague alum, against his old rivals. The league schedule will again be highlighted by "the big three," Kater said, of Muskegon, Mona Shores and Byron Center.

"They've had a lot of success the last five years since I've been here," Kater said. "We're trying to make a name for ourselves there in the middle of the pack with Forest Hills Northern and Union."