By Staff
Fall has arrived, although you wouldn't know that by looking outside or at the thermometer.
But fall has arrived when you are talking about high school sports.
School is less than a month away, but fall sports practice for football began on Monday.
Today practice begins for golf.
The remaining fall sports can begin practice on Monday.
It's really hard to believe that high school sports is about to start up.
It seems like only yesterday the spring sports were wrapping up their seasons.
This year holds a lot of anticipation when it comes to Dowagiac athletics.
Gone is the Big 16 Conference.
Dowagiac will begin play in the Wolverine Conference next week when the golf team opens up its season.
The Chieftain golfers will have several invitationals under their collective belts and even a few conference events prior to the start of school on Sept. 5.
That is going to be something new that coaches have not really had to deal with in the past.
All of the Dowagiac sports teams will begin competition prior to the start of school.
In the past there were a few contests, with the exception of golf, before school went into session, but now every coach must deal with keeping track of their athletes outside of the school system.
Why I don't anticipate any real problems with the situation, I do know that kids are kids.
Coaches will not have the luxury of being able to keep track of their athletes while they are in the classroom.
They won't know if their athletes spent the day out in the sun or doing other strenuous activities that could come into play when the games are played in the afternoon or evening.
But if I know the coaches in Dowagiac, they will make sure that they have a tight rein on their players on game days.
I cannot wait until next week when the golf team opens up play at the Coloma Invitational.
The Chieftain golf team will play three straight days next week. Dowagiac will also travel to Centreville on Tuesday and then Gull Lake on Wednesday.
The Chieftains will host the first Wolverine Conference jamboree on Monday, Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. at Hampshire Country Club.
Dowagiac Union High School players and parents are reminded that the Meet the Coaches Night is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m.
This is an important part of the fall sports preparation.
Coaches will be introduced and then they will go over important facts about the upcoming season.
Make sure you make every effort to attend.
Another highlight next week will be the annual scrimmage.
Dowagiac will be hosting Lakeshore and Holland on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m.