USJ's Garrett Guymon to play against dad's team

University School of Jackson coach Jack Peel asked his catcher, USJ junior Garrett Guymon, if he'll be able to focus properly on Monday's game against Rossville Christian. Guymon said he can.

It might be tougher for Garrett's dad. Scott Guymon is in his first year as the Rossville Christian coach.

Scott Guymon spent several years along with Jimmy Carey as a coach of the Jackson Coyotes travel baseball team, and because several of the USJ juniors, including Garrett, have been on that team for years Scott knows them well.

He knows the work ahead of the Bruins as they try to win games and defend their state championship, and Monday and Tuesday it's his unlikely job to help Rossville hand USJ a loss.

"All fall he's been real excited about playing us and we've been excited about playing, but now that it gets closer to time it's getting pretty anxious," Garrett Guymon said.

USJ is scheduled to host Rossville at 6 p.m. Monday before traveling to Rossville for a rematch at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Scott Guymon talked about the upcoming games against his son's team after attending his first USJ game this year Wednesday afternoon, a 6-1 Bruin win in which Garrett had an RBI single.

"I see the grind that these guys are doing and I love watching each and every one of them and watching them be successful, so it's going to be tough," Scott Guymon said. "I hope he goes 3-for-3 with four RBIs and we beat them 5-4. That'd be nice. It'll be tough. That'll be a tough challenge."

Scott Guymon pitched at the University of Pikeville in eastern Kentucky. Before coaching Garrett in travel ball, Scott previously worked with the baseball teams at Union, Lambuth, McNairy Cenral and Jackson Central-Merry.

He left JCM when Garrett was 9, only returning to a school a couple years ago to help Crockett County for one year as a pitching coach.

"That's sort of what got my blood going again," Scott Guymon said.

After last year he heard about an opening at Rossville and asked Garrett what he thought. His son's response moved him.

"He says 'You're a coach.' He said 'That's what you need to do,'" Scott recalled, pausing to collect his thoughts. "He says 'You need to do what you're supposed to do,' so I took it and I love it."

He also teaches psychology and science at RCA.

Despite his new role as Rossville coach, Scott Guymon has helped maintain the USJ baseball field on Parent Work Day.

"I try to make sure that I'm a coach there but a dad here, and [Peel] has been real gracious about letting me do that," he said. "I don't get in his way. He takes care of Garrett, so I'm fine with that."

But Guymon's role for a rival isn't unnoticed. He walked into a USJ parents' meeting earlier this year straight after leaving practice at Rossville, so he had his Rossville clothes on. Garrett playfully called him on it.

"He was all 'When you come up here you're supposed to be the dad! You ain't supposed to be Rossville,'" Scott Guymon recalled. "He took all my USJ stuff I used to wear. I don't get to wear that anymore."

Scott's pitching background and Garrett's job as catcher fit together nicely.

"I know how he would pitch so it also helped me to call a game, to know what to call as a catcher," Garrett Guymon said. "It's just knowing what he would do, and then I can sort of relate to that."

Late-night chats about the game are common, based sometimes on Garrett's own games and other times on televised big league games.

USJ has high expectations after winning a state title last year. Rossville, a school with about 200 students, is still working toward baseball success.

"We're not as talented as they are yet, but I've got kids that fight and they're looking forward to coming up here and playing," Scott Guymon said.

USJ's games are filmed, so Scott is able to watch video from Garrett's games and keep up with his son's progress. But he's seen off-field progress, too, and you don't have to be at every game for that.

"His work ethic, his belief in his faith is huge," Scott Guymon said of his son. "He's special. He really is."

Craig Thomas, 425-9634