MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP – Sometimes, in difficult conditions, even good teams need their star player to step up and deliver a victory.

The conditions were certainly adverse at Reeths-Puffer High School on Thursday, when the hot temperatures and stifling humidity made playing a soccer game downright difficult.

But Liam Smith got the job done for the Rockets, scoring four goals, including three in the second half, to lead R-P to a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over a good North Muskegon squad.

With the win, the Rockets improved to 3-1, while the Norse fell to 2-3.

“We went down early in the game,” Smith said after the game. “I was trying to hype up the team, and everyone came together to put those goals in. I was super proud of the team for sticking it out to the end.”

“That kid loves the game,” said Reeths-Puffer coach Kody Harrell, “In addition to the training he is getting in and outside of high school, he is always doing something on his own. Liam is our heartbeat. We are so lucky to have him, because he would play the same way if someone else scored all of those goals.”

The game was stopped midway through both the first and second half for the teams to take a water break before continuing with the action. That’s how hot and muggy it was.

“I was proud of our boys, because we seemed to be more energized as the game went along,” Harrell said. “I was really excited about our team’s finish. We seemed to pick up more speed as the game went on. It shows a lot about our team’s fitness to be able to pick it up after playing 65 minutes.”

North Muskegon coach Jeremy Tjapkes said the heat took a toll on his team

“A couple of kids were unable to go today, and as the game went on we lost a few more, and by the end of the game we didn’t have a healthy sub on the bench,” he said. “We played iron man soccer today”

The action started early. The Norse had a penalty kick with 24:21 left in the first half. Dylan Schultz picked the top left corner for his shot, while Rockets keeper Gage Hopkins guessed correctly and made a diving save, keeping the score tied at zero.

North Muskegon’s luck changed just over a minute later. The ball was crossed into the R-P box and after a few deflections, it rolled to Schultz. This time he buried the ball in the top left corner to give the Norse a 1-0 lead.

With 14:05 left in the first half, the Rockets pulled even. Smith received the ball, made a couple of moves, and buried it for a goal.

The Norse broke the 1-1 tie with 7:31 left to play in the first half. After a shot from just outside the box hit the crossbar, the rebound rolled to Nolan Mallory, who fired a shot into the corner of the net.

North Muskegon led 2-1 at halftime, but the second half was all Reeths-Puffer,

With 17:13 left to play in the game, Isaac Ritsema played the ball into the box for Nick Clemens. After a dribble, Clemens passed to Smith, who finished off the play with a goal, making the score 2-2.

Just under three minutes later, Smith received a pass from Clemens again. This time he dribbled to his left foot and fired a shot from the left wing into the top right corner of the net for the eventual game-winning goal.

Smith added a goal down the stretch, giving the Rockets their final margin of victory.

The Rockets outshot the Norse 12-10. Both keepers played well, with Hopkins stopping 10 shots and Norse keeper Leighton Hunt stopping eight.