From the outside, Reeths-Puffer and its extremely inexperienced roster dropping a 21-10 game at returning Division 3 state champion Forest Hills Central Thursday night seemed like a more than acceptable outcome.
For Rockets' coach Cody Kater, while there were bright spots, there was also a lot to improve.
"A lot of our seniors who have played a lot of football have to rise to the occasion," Kater said. "I don't think we're necessarily upset with this loss but we feel like we have more to give. We learned a lot about ourselves throughout this game. We have to figure out how to run the ball better and to play all four downs defensively. If we can do that, we'll be a tough team to go play."
Kater said the Rockets "played their butts off" defensively, allowing under 300 yards of offense, but the Rangers popped three big plays that brought them touchdowns - actually four, Kater said, though Central dropped a pass on the fourth one. One of the key moments came with R-P down 7-3 in the third quarter, when Kater made the call to go for it on fourth-and-1 close to midfield. The Rockets couldn't convert, and Central quickly responded with a touchdown.
"That's kind of the way we felt like it went the entire night. In the first quarter, we executed really well and showed dgreat discipline. We had some mental lapses in the second, and that went on through the third and fourth. We couldn't stay disciplined enough to find some success."
The Rockets did a solid job with a run-heavy game plan, throwing the ball 12 times. Mason Darke was efficient on those attempts, completing eight of them for 79 yards, and also ran for 81 yards, including the team's only touchdown. Bryce Muskovin added 85 yards on the ground.
Kater credited veteran Sage Secrest, who had a team-high eight tackles, with a strong game on the defensive end. He also shouted out Elliot Schneider for good work at linebacker.
"Overall, though, there were some surprises, and as a head coach you don't want to have surprises," Kater said.
R-P opens its home schedule with a game against Caledonia next Friday.
