By Tom Kendra
LocalSportsJournal.com

Sunday started off as a fun day, watching the Lions beat up on the Packers at Lambeau Field.

But it quickly took an ugly turn as I discovered that two pillars of Muskegon Public Schools, and two guys who were so good to me in my infancy as a sportswriter, both passed away on the same day (Nov. 3) at the same age (83).

When I think about Dave Taylor and Billy Scott, it brings a smile to my face, because it harkens back to the late 1980s and the early 1990s, in many ways a simpler and much better era – with phones on cords, cords on our legs (Taylor would switch from the white bell bottoms to cords when it got colder), Bunker and Steele Middle Schools, Jim Moyes & Gene Young broadcasting football games, bleachers and a basketball court at L.C. Walker Arena and Racquet’s was the only place to go in downtown Muskegon.

Taylor was a defensive genius who coached the Big Reds to Class A state championships in 1986 and 1989, when there were only four divisions for prep football, as opposed to the current, watered-down 10 divisions.

I’ll never forget interviewing him after a big win in that tiny coach’s room off the Hackley Stadium tunnel, when a second-string player had the nerve to interrupt and ask me when I was going to write a story on him.

“Why would he want to write a story on you?” Taylor asked incredulously, before adding, “And why do you have that earring? Give me 20 push-ups!”

Scott, the longtime principal at Angell School, was better known in the sports community as one-half of the most famous basketball officiating duo in area history: Scott & McClain.

Early on in my sportswriting career at The Muskegon Chronicle, I tagged along with Scott and his great friend and fellow principal Jim McClain for a game to write a first-person story on officiating. Talk about two fabulous guys and a dynamic duo, with McClain the straight guy and Scott the flamboyant one.

I’m not great at impersonations, but I can do a pretty good Billy Scott, emerging from under the basket with an emphatic blocking call when seemingly everyone in the gym thought it was a charge (he laughed when I did it for him one time).

RIP to a pair of Big Red legends.

All games kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday, unless noted, and my picks are in all caps.

Last week: 10-2 (83 percent)

Best pick: Newaygo over Montague. Many of my sources told me that the Lions couldn’t beat a West Michigan Conference playoff power like Montague, but I had a feeling that old coach Ralph Munger and his young team were ready to come of age.

Worst pick: Mason County Central over Standish-Sterling. I was told Sterling was “legit,” and they must be, making the trip over to Scottville and rolling over a very good MCC team.

Overall: 141-38 (79 percent)

DIVISION 2: Region 1

Byron Center (9-1) 71.361 at MONA SHORES (9-1) 74.361 – What a matchup: two of the state’s best teams and two of the state’s best quarterbacks in Landon Tungate and Jonathan Pittman. The winner of this one could very well be playing on the day after Thanksgiving. The weather looks good, so watch out for a couple of long TD bombs from Pittman. 

Mattawan (7-3) 61.222 at PORTAGE CENTRAL (7-3) 62.222 – There is a growing buzz among coaches to switch to seeded, eight-team regionals. Under that format, Mattawan would likely be playing at Shores this week and Portage Central would be at Byron Center, with the two best teams meeting in the regional finals. Sounds like a good change to me.

DIVISION 4: Region 1

WHITEHALL (7-3) 51.111 at Big Rapids (9-1) 55.111, at Ferris State – Last week, the Vikings were playing for their seniors in an inspired, come-from-behind win at Forest Hills Eastern. This week, the Vikings are playing for last year’s seniors, who saw their undefeated dream season come to an end at the hands of Big Rapids. Cam Thompson alone is worth the price of admission.

Grand Rapids South Christian (6-4) 48.889 at HUDSONVILLE UNITY CHRISTIAN (10-0) 72.278 – The Sailors won their first four games, then lost four in a row and now, with a healthy Carson Vis back at quarterback, have won two in a row. The problem is that this Unity team is big enough and physical enough, with a stable of backs and a great coach in Craig Tibbe, to possibly win it all in Division 2.

DIVISION 6: Region 2

Central Montcalm (9-1) 43.444 at NEWAYGO (8-2) 48.778 – I attended Newaygo’s practice on Tuesday and was impressed with the energy and enthusiasm the Lions practiced with. It looked like they were having fun and really wanted to keep playing which, in an evenly-matched game, can make all the difference.

Ovid-Elsie (8-2) 42.889 at LANSING CATHOLIC (7-3) 46.111 – I don’t mind mowing the lawn, but raking leaves is a young man’s game. So now I hire someone for the leaves, which not only spares my back, but frees me up to research games like this one (truth be told, I spent WAY more time figuring out the correct number of “do’s” in my final pick).

DIVISION 7: Region 2

McBain (9-1) 39.778 at NORTH MUSKEGON (9-1) 42.222 – The Ramblers would love to have a skill player like Bryce Colbert or TJ Byard or Chuck Meyers or Drew Bartos or Tristan Thomas or Hunter Wilder or Cullen Bartos or Landon Grimm. The Norsemen have all of them, which will earn them a trip to Yooperitaville next weekend.

Traverse City St Francis (7-3) 41.333 at MENOMINEE (9-1) 48.333, Saturday, noon – This week’s sing-along comes from Sesame Street and, later, The Muppet Show: “Menominee … do-do-do-do-do; Menominee … do-do-do-do; Menominee … do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-da, do-do-do-do.”