Reeths-Puffer finished the regular season strong last year, winning three straight games and then taking a district first round game before bowing out to eventual regional finalist Spring Lake. With most of the team's top players back, the Rockets have a lot to be excited about.
R-P returns two top scorers in Jaslynn Kops, a junior but already a Ferris State commit, and senior Mallorie Messer. R-P coach Kody Harrell said Kops, who scored 14 goals last season as a sophomore, looked like a much-improved player during offseason activities.
Fourth-year varsity player Abby Hill is back in the midfield. Ashlyn David and Ashley Bradley are also slated to be part of the attacking end of the Rocket lineup.
On the back end of the lineup, Sara Carlson had a good 2025 as keeper, but fast-rising freshman Ava Callender has all the tools to be a star at the position and will see time there too. That will free up Carlson to spend time elsewhere on the field.
"She has a really good voice and a good athletic frame," R-P coach Kody Harrell said of Callender. "She's got the 'it' factor. She looks the part, with strong legs and shoulders. She'll be a college goalie someday if she wants to be. We're still working on positional makeup and stuff, but as a freshman, we're really excited about her."
It all adds up to a lineup the Rockets feel very solid about very early in the season, a luxury Harrell hasn't had very often during his time at the helm.
"There's a new level of confidence," Harrell said. "We have a lot of girls coming back who played the bulk of the minutes. We have a lot of girls who can play a lot of positions and we have fast rotating players on the wing. (In mid-March) we already have an idea of what our rotation will look like and what the puzzle pieces will be, rather than figuring it out as we go along."
As usual, the Rockets will face a rugged schedule, as the O-K Green Conference features some excellent teams. One of them is defending Division 1 state champion Byron Center, so R-P will measure itself against the very best. Big-time tests against teams like traditional rival Fruitport and 2025 regional champion Grand Rapids Christian will ensure the Rockets are as ready as any team entering the postseason. Rivalry battles with Mona Shores will be two of the more hotly anticipated games on the slate after two tough R-P losses last year.
R-P's district sends the Rockets north this year to face the likes of Cedar Springs, though the Red Hawks were an overtime goal away from hoisting their own district trophy last fall, so it's hardly as if the district will be a red carpet.
"Cedar Springs is the team to beat," Harrell said. "Spring Lake and Fruitport would be a regional semifinal (opponent) if we get that far."
Due to strong offseason participation and a veteran lineup that still has more room to grow - there are only seven seniors on the team - the Rockets are very confident for a much better start than last year's 0-7, which could mean an even better team in May.
"I'm real excited for the season," Harrell said. "We feel better about starting the season stronger than we did last year and then build off that."
