Column: Long, hot day is great

Published 10:21 pm Wednesday, June 6, 2007

By Staff
STEVENSVILLE – You won't find me advocating long days out in the sun.
I am a guy who loves spring-like weather where the temperatures are in the mid-60s to upper 70s.
This past Saturday was more like the middle of summer in Stevensville.
The temperatures soared well into the 80s and the humidity was up.
But despite a somewhat uncomfortable situation to be in, I enjoyed the day as I watched the Dowagiac baseball team win its first district championship since 2001.
It was exciting to watch the Chieftains play. Their bats were as hot as the weather.
I cannot recall seeing Dowagiac hit the ball any better, either this season or last season.
I knew the Chieftains were capable of this kind of offensive production. I hadn't seen it much this season, but boy was I glad it showed up on Saturday.
It was also a bittersweet kind of day for me.
I have known Lakeshore coach Mark Nate for a long time. I watched Nate grow up in the Dowagiac program and have always enjoyed talking with him.
It was tough to see his team dismantled by Dowagiac on Saturday, but let me tell you something, Nate has done a tremendous job with the Lancer program in just two short seasons.
Lakeshore will be a team to watch out for in seasons to come.
I cannot wait for Saturday and a trip to Coldwater, for what I hope is another long day.
The Chieftains have a great chance to win a regional championship.
Dowagiac will take on Wolverine Conference foe Comstock in the first game on Saturday at 10 a.m.
A pair of Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference (SMAC) teams will square off in the second game.
Mattawan and Marshall will meet with a chance to advance to the championship game, which is slated for 2:30 p.m.
Dowagiac is no stranger to the Mattawan and Marshall programs.
So I expect them to be fully prepared when they arrive in Coldwater.
Should the Chieftains win the championship, they more than likely would get another shot at Gull Lake in the quarterfinals.
I would love to see Dowagiac play Gull Lake one more time. I don't believe the Chieftains played their best in their regular season meeting with the Blue Devils.
Dowagiac's softball team was not as fortunate as the baseball squad.
The Chieftains did not hit the ball particularly well against the Lady Lancers in their championship game.
Still, Dowagiac put up quite a fight in defeating Edwardsburg in the first game and then against Lakeshore in the title tilt.
Dowagiac may not have won as many games as it has in the past in softball, but the team played hard every night and gave it their best.
There is no reason for anyone on that squad to hang their heads. They can definitely look themselves in the mirror and be proud of the job they did.