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Defense leads Chiefs to win

By RICK SWANSON / Dowagiac Daily News
Monday, September 29, 2008 11:03 AM EDT

COMSTOCK - The streak is over.

The Dowagiac varsity football snapped a three-game losing streak to host Comstock Friday night with a 27-6 Wolverine Conference victory.

The win also kept Dowagiac's conference title hopes alive.

The Chieftains came into the game having lost to the Colts the past three years, including last year's three-overtime barn burner.

This year's show was all Dowagiac and all defense.

"In the past 12 quarters of play, our defense has only allowed two touchdowns," said Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger, whose team allowed just the one fourth quarter touchdown.

The Chieftains played with intensity and knowledge of their opponent.

"We were ready for their big guys, (senior running back) Savon LaBarre-Dobbin and (senior quarterback) Ryan Vrooman," he said.

They limited LaBarre-Dobbin to 54 yards rushing and Vrooman to 38 yards rushing and 4-of-10 passing with one sack for the night.

Dowagiac junior lineman Adam Roach, though with only one recorded tackle, played on both sides of the ball, stepping in for junior center Teddy Wirick late in the second quarter. He commanded the offensive line throughout the second half.

"Adam Roach did a great job," commented Stanger on his backup center.

The defense may have made the game, but the offense put on a sideshow of its own. On a perfect, late September night beneath the lights of the new Comstock High School stadium, the boys in orange came out of the locker room running.

The Chieftains forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, giving them the ball just inside the Comstock 31-yard line.

Dowagiac standout running back, senior Greg Nelson, put up his first 29 yards of the night on a run to the one-yard line while setting up sophomore quarterback Austin Adams' one-yard touchown run. Senior Michael Filley kicked the extra point.

All this took place in the first 35 seconds of the game.

On the next Dowagiac possession, starting on its own 15-yard line, Adams and his team drove the ball 85 yards for a touchdown. Nelson, again, gave the offense a boost with a 42-yard run on the second down of the series. He then scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

On the following series, Nelson stole the show with a hard fought 70 yard, first down touchdown run. He ended the night with 166 yards rushing and tied for team leading tackles at seven.

The Colts' only points came on a four yard touchdown run by Vrooman to the outside at 9:27 of the fourth quarter.

Roach blocked the Coltís extra point attempt, capping their score at six points for the night.

Both teams were penalized many times. Comstock's came at unfortunate times, often negating large positive yardage. The Colts had eight flags for a total of 98 yards, including a rare offensive pass interference.

Closing out the scoring for Dowagiac was Brandon Douglas when he took the ball four yards for a touchdown. His run concluded a 12 play, 64-yard series with 2:55 to go in the fourth quarter.

Filley's extra point attempt was blocked.

In the end, the Dowagiac defense held the Colts to 131 yards rushing and 147 total offensive yards to the Dowagiac 331 yards.

"The defense worked hard this week and it showed," Stanger said.

Fourteen players were credited with at least one tackle, led by senior lineman Andrew Hurrle. Hurrle tied Nelson with seven tackles and added three assists.

Next week the Chieftains (4-1) meet head on in conference play with the host Plainwell Trojans starting at 7 p.m.

Dowagiac 14 7 0 6 - 27

Comstock 0 0 0 6 - 6

D - Austin Adams 1 run (Michael Filley kick)

D - Craig Nelson 3 run (Filley Good)

D - Nelson 70 run (Filley good)

C - Vrooman 4 run (blocked

D - Brandon Douglas 4 run (blocked)

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