By Staff
With the final regular season girls' basketball games slated for the remainder of this week and the state tournament looming just ahead, there is a change about to take place.
Gone are the afternoons and evenings strolling along cross country courses or golf courses. Gone are the nights spent at the local high school football fields.
Those will be replaced strictly by nights in the gym.
Volleyball, boys basketball and wrestling replace cross country, golf, girls tennis, boys soccer and girls basketball.
After nine weeks of high school football, 20 regular season games in girls basketball, plus the golf, soccer and cross country seasons, I am looking forward to getting inside and seeing the local winter sports teams compete.
All three winters sports teams get their practices under way next week.
Basketball and wrestling can begin practice on Monday, while volleyball squads must wait until Thursday. This might be the last time I cover those three sports in the same season.
If the Michigan High School Athletic Association is forced by the courts to switch seasons, I will no longer be covering girls basketball in the fall, nor will I be covering volleyball in the winter.
Several other sports may also make a switch depending on how the courts rule here in the next few months.
This could also be the next-to-last season that I will be covering the Dowagiac sports teams in the Big 16 Conference.
The decision by the Wolverine Conference Board of Governors is expected in the next week.
If they approve, Dowagiac would be moving to the Wolverine Conference in the 2005-06 season.
I am looking forward to traveling throughout southwestern Michigan to see the Niles Vikings, Buchanan Bucks and Brandywine Bobcats.
Good luck to all those squads this coming winter.
It is my hope that each and every team has a successful campaign and performs well come state tournament time.
But first things first. I am looking forward to the post season in girls basketball which begins on Monday. Get out and support your local teams.