BUCHANAN — While Tuesday’s Scott Novak Memorial Cup golf tournament offered coaches the opportunity to watch their teams improve as regional tournaments approach, they also took time to appreciate Novak’s legacy in southwest Michigan.

Like most of the coaches, Dowagiac coach Bob Turner remembers Novak covering his exploits as a high school athlete.

“I thought about him all day when I was at school, “ he said. “He got this thing rolling, and I’m just happy that my guys could come out, and work on getting better and before it’s all said and done,  maybe one year we’ll get lucky and compete for it. Orchard Hills does a great job with the course – they treat us, right. It’s just a wonderful thing. Every year, my kids look forward to this.”

Cassopolis coach Joseph Westrate and his team were happy to hoist the trophy that now bears Novak’s name and continue his legacy.

“He was an incredible individual,” Westrate said. “Just giving all the time. He’s sorely missed. You just can’t replace a guy like that. It’s an honor to win it and now that it’s named after him, we’re just happy to represent. I’m very proud and happy that his legacy will continue forever.”

Like Turner, Brandywine coach Max Douglass remembers Novak being a constant presence at his high school sporting events.

“It’s a big honor because when I was in high school, he took a lot of pictures of me playing baseball and football and all that stuff,” he said. “I think it’s a great thing that we keep it going.”

Niles Head Coach Dan Brawley has known Novak for years and appreciates everything he did for local sports.

“He’s the reason why we’re here and these kids had a ball today,” he said. “His legacy lives on through this. He made this happen – he called a couple coaches and said ‘hey, what do you think of this’ and we were all like yeah, that would be great. We’ll give that a try. Orchard Hills is nice enough to let us come out here to a beautiful golf course, we had a beautiful day for it. The kids had a great time and I know Scott’s looking down on us and he’s happy to see this.”

Orchard Hills PGA Pro George Pullen was happy to host the Scott Novak Memorial Cup again to support the local teams and continue Novak’s legacy. 

“It means a lot,” he said. “We know a lot of the kids here in the community from being here for so long. My son played in the Leader Cup, when he was in high school at Niles and Scott’s been a major part of for as long as I can remember. It’s good for us to host it and to give back to the community a little bit.”

Amelio Rodriguez worked alongside Novak for almost 10 years at Leader Publications as a sportswriter and photojournalist. The two became fast friends, which allowed Rodriguez to witness first-hand the impact Novak had and continues to have on the community.
“To see the Leader Cup changed to the Scott Novak Memorial Cup is bittersweet and brings both a smile to my face and a tear to my eye,” he said. “Scott was Leader Publications Sports. He and I came up with the idea of the Leader Cup so all six local high schools could compete against each other in a tournament since everyone was in different conferences. He always called it my baby, but he was the backbone behind it all. 

“To see the cup renamed in his honor is fitting, because HE WAS Leader Sports, and it shows you what the high school coaches thought of him as a person. It’s a great honor and tribute, but it’s sad because we all miss Scott and would rather have him covering the tournament, than being honored by the name change. But he deserved it, and it’s the least we could do for all that he did for high school sports.”

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GALLERY: Cassopolis takes home Scott Novak Memorial Cup