It’s pretty cool to see former losers turn into winners in high school football, a sport where the greats tend to remain great and the have-nots usually remain at the bottom.

The first team that comes to mind is Fremont, which before this season was really, really bad for a long, long time. This year the Packers started out with two exciting wins and gave Ludington a run for its money before losing last week.

The Packers will face Grant on Friday. We’re not supposed to root for teams in this profession, but what the hell – Go Packers!

Another feel-good story comes from Reeths-Puffer, where the Rockets have underachieved for several years. But they are remarkably better this season under new head coach Cody Kater, and they proved it by giving Muskegon all it could handle last Friday at a packed Hackley Stadium.

The Rockets are back, and the O-K Green title race could get interesting this year, particularly if R-P can handle unbeaten Grand Rapids Union on Friday.

Fruitport has not been a loser, per se. After all the Trojans were a playoff team last year, when they snuck into the postseason with a 4-5 record after playing one of the state’s toughest schedules. This year Fruitport has one of the more explosive offenses around and could be heading for a very big season, if its defense can stop bleeding points.

Hudsonville has bullied Fruitport for two straight years, and the two teams will match up again on Friday night. There could be a changing of the guard in the O-K Blue.

There are some other very interesting matchups this week, with Whitehall and Montague meeting in the annual Battle for the Bell, unbeaten Ludington visiting unbeaten Oakridge and Muskegon Catholic making a long road trip to face a 3-0 team from Illinois.

Remember to check out MuskegonSports.com on Friday night and Saturday morning to see who won and how.

Here are my picks for this week:

Spring Lake (1-2) at Allendale (1-2) – There is talent on this Lakers team, and new head coach Cody Mallory has a history of winning. Fruitport put up a lot of points on Allendale last week, and I’m betting the Lakers will, too.

Fremont (2-1) at Grant (1-2) – After two head-spinning wins to start the season, the Packers tasted defeat last week. This is gut-check time for Fremont, and I think the team will respond positively.

North Muskegon (2-1) at Hesperia (1-2) – The James Young touchdown parade will continue at the expense of the Panthers.

Mason County Central (0-3) at Holton (0-3) – The Spartans will get the victory here, but I will bet that the Red Devils, who are about as inexperienced as a varsity team can be, will take a step forward and have their best performance to date. Football, like life, is all about improvement.

Fruitport (2-1) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (1-2) – Unity has run up big scores on the Trojans for the past two years, but the tables will turn this time. Unity is not nearly as strong as the team that made the state finals last year, and Fruitport has an explosive offense and a hunger for revenge.

White Cloud (2-1) at Kent City (3-0) – The Eagles have been putting up a lot of points – 28 and 49 the last two weeks, respectively – and they will score enough to outdistance the Indians.

Orchard View (0-3) at Manistee (2-1) – I’ve watched OV practice and I’ve seen how hard the kids work under the direction of Coach Fred Rademacher. I think the Cards will win a game this season. I’m just not ready to say when.

Hart (2-1) at Muskegon Heights (0-3) – Hart has shown a lot of bounce-back after a Week 1 loss to Fremont, and the Pirates will add a third victory.

Ludington (3-0) at Oakridge (3-0) – This is a potentially interesting matchup, but I don’t think the Orioles are quite ready to push Oakridge. Ludington started out 3-0 in 2013, 2016 and 2019 before losing its fourth game each year, and that will happen again.

Grand Rapids Union (3-0) at Reeths-Puffer (2-1) – The Rockets left a lot of emotion on the field last Friday in their close call loss to Muskegon, and now they have to turn around and beat a soaring Union squad that’s been scoring a lot of points. I think they are up to the challenge.

Shelby (0-3) at Ravenna (2-1) – I think squandering a big lead and losing to Beal City in Week 1 might have been the best thing that happened to the Bulldogs. Since then they’ve been fired up and winning, and that trend will continue on Friday.

Montague (2-1) at Whitehall (3-0) – This neighborhood rivalry game has been close and entertaining for the past few years, and I hope it is again, but it could get ugly. Montague is pretty good. Whitehall is really good.

Mona Shores (2-1) at Wyoming (0-3) – The Sailors will continue to fine tune their offensive engine in this O-K Green mismatch.

Muskegon (2-1) at Zeeland East (0-3) – The Big Reds are overdue for an offensive explosion after two close victories and an ugly loss so far this season. This will likely end with a running clock.

Muskegon Catholic Central (1-2) at Fulton (Illinois) (3-0) – I know nothing about this Illinois team, but I do know the Crusaders have a long trip ahead of them, and Fulton’s record suggests that the hosts are a strong team. I challenge the Crusaders to rub my nose in this pick, and I’ll be happy if they do.