By Staff
As I sit down to write this column there is only one game left in the regular season for the Dowagiac varsity football team.
Where has the year gone?
It seems like only yesterday that the Chieftains were putting the pads on for the first time.
Gone are the hot and humid days of August training camp. They have been replaced by cold, wet and sometimes snowy weather.
It has been a great year for the Chieftain football program.
The varsity squad is hoping to cap off its season on Friday night with a victory over visiting Paw Paw.
Dowagiac remembers the last meeting between the two schools in 2005 when the Redskins plastered the Chieftains in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Chieftains would love nothing more than to return the favor on Friday.
Paw Paw will be coming to Dowagiac with a purpose.
The Redskins, who started off the season slowly, need to win Friday night in order to qualify for the playoffs.
Paw Paw comes into the contest with a 5-3 record, while Dowagiac heads into the regular season finale with a 6-2 mark.
The Chieftains have locked up a playoff spot, but doesn't want to head into the playoffs with a loss in its final game.
Dowagiac is also harboring hopes of hosting a first round playoff game.
The Chieftains got off to a fast start this season before running into a talented Comstock team.
Since then, Dowagiac has won a game, lost a game and won a game.
Chieftain head coach Mike Stanger doesn't want that trend to continue. He wants his team focused and ready to fire on all cylinders this Friday.
A win would give the Chieftains a modest two-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, Dowagiac still doesn't know whether or not it will play in Division 4 or Division 5 when the pairings are announced on Sunday.
The Chieftains are on the line and could go either way depending on what teams qualify on Friday night.
Dowagiac heads into the final game about as healthy as can be expected.
There are plenty of bumps and bruises and little dings, but I don't expect too many players to miss the season finale.
One player who most definitely will miss the remainder of the season is senior Mike Kasper, who underwent knee surgery on Monday.
From what I am told, all went well and Kasper walked out of the hospital following the surgery.
In the best-case scenario, Kasper could be back toward the end of wrestling season.
When I talked to Mike about his injury, he believed that he would definitely be back for baseball season.