Dowagiac and former winner Buchanan are two of the five finalists for the MHSAA’s Battle of the Fans IV, which were announced Monday.

Joining the Chieftains and Bucks are defending champion Beaverton, St. Johns and Yale.

Battle of the Fans recognizes the top student cheering section from among member schools and culminates in a video presentation including all five finalists during this season’s girls and boys basketball finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center.

Buchanan won BOTF II in 2013. All three past champions, plus 11 first-time applicants were among those that submitted to be part of the contest.

Battle of the Fans IV, organized by MHSAA staff and its 16-member Student Advisory Council, will reward the cheering section that best creates the positive and festive atmosphere made possible when students show enthusiasm, togetherness and sportsmanship while rooting for their team. MHSAA staff and Student Advisory Council members will visit all five finalists for home boys basketball games during the second half of this regular season, with coverage and video from those visits and the announcement of the winner all to be published on the MHSAA Second Half website (http://secondhalf.mhsaa.com).

Schools were invited in December to submit short videos, via YouTube, of their cheering sections in action. The winner will be announced Feb. 20, and video of all five sections will be played on the Breslin Center HD scoreboard during the Finals in March. The champion also will be recognized during the Boys Semifinals on March 27.

The 21 applicants for BOTF IV were the second most in the four-year history of the event.

The finalists were chosen by the Student Advisory Council, and the winner will be selected by another Advisory Council vote based in part on activity on the MHSAA’s social media sites. All social media postings regarding Battle of the Fans IV should include the hashtag #BOTF. The MHSAA will post throughout the finalists tour on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites and Snapchat feed.

Finalists will be visited for the following home basketball games:

Jan. 16: Gladwin at Beaverton

Jan. 23: Almont at Yale

Jan. 30: Niles Brandywine at Buchanan

Feb. 6: Haslett at St. Johns

Feb. 13: Edwardsburg at Dowagiac

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Frankenmuth, Frankfort, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix and Marysville, listed here in alphabetical order, rounded out the top 10 in the vote to select the finalists. Frankenmuth was the inaugural BOTF champion in 2012, Gabriel Richard was a finalist in 2013, and Frankfort was a finalist in 2014.

Those three and Loy Norrix also were joined among return applicants by Bay City John Glenn, Grand Rapids Christian, Reese and Vandercook Lake. Cedar Springs, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, Fairview, Grant, Ida, Marysville, Munising and South Lyon joined Dowagiac, St. Johns and Yale among those that applied for the first time.