Muskegon-area Week 8 football picks: With 2 blockbusters, cloning is appealing – MLive.com

MUSKEGON, MI Remember when talk of human cloning was a thing?

Id never given it much thought before but, yeah, it could have some scary consequences.

For instance, my wife is at her wits end taking care of me as her fourth child could you imagine her contending with another me?

Yeah, me neither.

But, you know, for just this week, I would like to explore the possibility. You see, there are two fantastic matchups on the Muskegon-area high school football docket this Friday:

Conference titles will be on the line in both games. In fact, all four teams are ranked in the top four in the state in their respective divisions.

Flying solo as an MLive Muskegon Chronicle sports reporter, sometimes tough decisions are made about which game to attend. This is one of those weeks, certainly, as both contests warrant spotlight coverage.

At the end of the day, a choice had to be made. Ill be at Sailor Stadium, excited to take in another crosstown showdown.

Ill have to miss the Oakridge-Ravenna backyard brawl. That stinks.

Its probably too late to clone another me, seeing that were within a day or so from the big game in Wolf Lake. Guess Ill just have to plant a few moles inside Russell A. Erickson Stadium and be resourceful in delivering coverage that MLive readers deserve.

On the plus side, that alternative saves my wife a bunch more heachaches.

The only thing worth duplicating, anyway, is my flawless predictions record from Week 7.

Lets give that a shot.

Last weeks record: 16-0 (100 percent)

Season record: 90-23 (79.6 percent)

Best pick last week: Grant 20, Newaygo 14. OK, so the final score prediction really wasnt all too close. But in a rivalry such as this one, it can be hard to know exactly what will happen.

Worst pick last week: Nope, not this time!

Muskegon (7-0, 4-0 OK Black Conference) at Mona Shores (6-1, 4-0), 7 p.m. Friday: The top two teams in the Muskegon area settle it on the field once again. Winner moves to the cusp of an OK Black Conference title. Not only is this THE hot ticket in town, but its become one of the red-letter rivalries in terms of statewide interest.

Last season, Mona Shores played tough and was right there until the fourth quarter, when Muskegon put away a 55-35 victory. Will it follow a similar script this time? Yeah, I could see it playing out in similar fashion.

Against two of the other big-name programs in the state earlier this season, Muskegon drilled Warren De La Salle (41-7) and Detroit King (41-18), both on the road. In Mona Shores red-letter game vs. Rockford, it got away from the Sailors (34-21).

Much stranger things have happened than Mona Shores taking down Muskegon, but its a tough ask against Cameron Martinez & Co.

Pick: Muskegon 42, Mona Shores 21

RELATED: Tale of the tape for Muskegon vs. Mona Shores, plus the video preview seen above

***

Ravenna (6-1, 6-0 WMC) at Oakridge (7-0, 6-0), 7 p.m. Friday: Its been a while since an Oakridge-Ravenna game has meant this much: Outright West Michigan Conference title on the line, winner take all. Oakridge and Ravenna have not played this late in a season since 1998. The fact that its the final week of the conference slate only adds to the drama.

The Bulldogs are seeking their first conference championship since 2001, when they shared it with Oakridge and Montague. In the years since, the Eagles and Wildcats have owned the WMC with a team like Shelby sprinkled in there.

Everybody likes to focus on offense, but both of these teams play fantastic defense. Heres to another hard-hitting nail-biter, just like the old days in the rivalry.

Pick: Oakridge 24, Ravenna 20

RELATED: Tale of the tape for Ravenna vs. Oakridge, plus the video preview seen above

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Montague (5-2, 4-2 WMC) at Whitehall (3-4, 3-3), 7 p.m. Friday: When the two towns to the north and south of White Lake get together, it typically leads to high drama and high stakes. They are playing for The Bell, as tradition dictates, but a rarity is that neither team is contention for the West Michigan Conference title.

Still, there are playoff hopes on the line. Montague needs a win here to clinch a spot in the postseason. With Division 5 second-ranked Portland coming to town in Week 9, there are no promises the Wildcats will get it then. Meanwhile, Whitehall needs to win this week and in Week 9 vs. Montrose at Alma College for the Vikings to have a chance to join the playoff party.

Whitehall has been seriously hampered by injuries, while Montague is dealing with low roster numbers. This one could come down to sheer will and, of course, a couple bounces.

Pick: Montague 27, Whitehall 20

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Spring Lake (4-3, 3-2 OK Blue Conference) at Allendale (4-3, 3-1), 7 p.m. Friday: So, Spring Lake took some lumps from Grand Rapids Catholic Central last week. Join the club. The Cougars do that to a lot of teams.

This week presents a different challenge altogether: Owen Burk. You might say, How can one guy beat a team? Well, its not just one guy, but Burk is a very dynamic high school football player. Hes going to play at Air Force for a reason. When very good opponents like Unity Christian and Cedar Springs have trouble containing him

The Lakers need to win this week and next to assure themselves a playoff spot.

Pick: Allendale 36, Spring Lake 20

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Muskegon Catholic Central (4-2) at Benton Harbor (4-3), 5 p.m. Friday: The Crusaders head to the southwest corner of Michigan to take on a Benton Harbor squad that, like MCC, is battling for a playoff spot.

MCC needs just one win, this week or next, to punch its ticket. With an eight-game schedule, the Crusaders need to get to five wins. Meanwhile, Benton Harbor needs two victories to assure itself a postseason spot. Aside from facing MCC, the Tigers are playing unbeaten Berrien Springs in Week 9.

In 2018, Benton Harbor traveled to Muskegon and ran away with a 41-21 victory over MCC. That was last year, however. This looks to be a toss-up.

Pick: Muskegon Catholic Central 24, Benton Harbor 22

(Games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted.)

More high school football coverage:

Vote in MLive Muskegon Player of the Week fan poll for Week 7 games

Take your pick in Week 8 Muskegon-area must-see game fan poll

Check out the Week 7 Muskegon-area Power Poll

MLive Top 50 state rankings entering Week 8

See where Muskegon sits in Week 8 national rankings

Latest AP rankings add to big week locally

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Muskegon-area Week 8 football picks: With 2 blockbusters, cloning is appealing - MLive.com