Both the Dowagiac freshmen and junior varsity football teams ended the 2009 season Thursday night with a victory.

The freshmen team defeated visiting Paw Paw 40-22 to cap a 7-2 season.

The Chieftain JV took a 13-0 halftime lead and held on for a 13-6 win and a 5-4 final record.

Freshmen football
Todd McIntyre rushed for 154 yards on just four carries and scored a pair of touchdowns for the Chieftains.

Brendon Murray added 105 yards on only three carries and two touchdowns, one of which was an 86-yard kickoff return.

Derek Stark and Charlie Rogers also scored touchdowns for Dowagiac.

On defense, B.J. Agurrie and Anteyon Russell each recovered a fumble, while Matt Lyle and Taylor Panczak both had five tackles.

“This was a team win in every sense,” Dowagiac coach Tony Scaccia said. “The team had a good week of preparation and it showed on Thursday night. We really had to battle a lot of adversity throughout this season and the kids never wavered.

“I have to thank the players and my assistant coaches Scott Dodd, Duane Davis and John Leazenby for their commitment and dedication. All things considered, I think we had a good year and the kids are ready to make the jump to the JV next fall,” he added.

JV football
Dan Crandall and Logan Pellow both scored for the Chieftains in the opening half of football Thursday night and then the defense took over from there.

“Because of the wet field I relied on my fullbacks Logan Pellow and DJ Hunt to run the ball a lot and they did a great job going forward and hanging on to the ball,” Dowagiac coach Matt Alward said.

Grant Hatch had an interception for Dowagiac.

“Our defense was strong when it needed to be,” Alward said.

“I am very proud of this team. I thought they made huge improvements from last season and look for them to continue to make huge improvements next season.

“I would like to thank Kyle Belew and Kyle Johnson for doing a great job coaching. They are a huge reason for this team’s success this season,” he added.