BAY CITY, MI – This one is going to stick with them.

For better or worse, memories made in the Bay City Western vs. Bay City Central football rivalry are there for the long haul.

And the coaches on both sides who experienced the Battle of the Bay have a word of advice for this year’s players: Make it a good one.

“The good memories last forever, but the bad memories last forever, too,” Western coach Chris Willertz said. “We showed a video from three years ago when Luke Zanotti, (a Central graduate now coaching at Western), missed a sack. The guys were teasing him. But he really was upset about that play.

“It shows that all the good things are magnified by 100, but the bad things are magnified by 100, also, because it’s rivalry day.”

The 51st edition of the rivalry plays out at 7 p.m.

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