Football seasons kick off tonight

Published 10:23 pm Friday, August 24, 2007

By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – A pair of teams trying to rebound from sub-par 2006 seasons will meet in Battle Creek tonight.
The Vikings were 1-8 a season ago, while the Spartans were 5-4.
Niles and Battle Creek last met on the gridiron in 2004 when the Vikings posted a 48-20 victory.
The Spartans return a large portion of their squad, which just missed out on the playoffs.
Niles will be led standout running back Ben Brandstatter, who rushed for more than 1,500 yards in 2006.
The Vikings will also be looking to get the ball to Paul Dreher, their speedy tight end, who missed last season due to injury.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Dowagiac hosts South Haven
With the daunting task of replacing 16 starters, Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger could at least feel good about having his top running back returning for the 2007 season.
But when Dowagiac and visiting South Haven tee it up tonight at Chris Taylor-Alumni field, senior Jamie Simpson will be watching from the sidelines in street clothes.
Simpson suffered a grade 2 ankle sprain in the Chieftains scrimmage and could miss anywhere from one to four games.
Stanger said that despite the loss of Simpson for tonight's opener, he feels good about Dowagiac's chances against the visiting Rams.
Dowagiac defeated the Rams 46-21 in the season opener last season.
The game was close through two and a half quarters before the Chieftains seized control and pulled away late in the third quarter.
Quarterback Isiah Grimes, running back Kamron Jackson and running back/receiver Kelip Goodwin will lead South Haven offensively.
Stanger said that South Haven's offensive can be very predictable and that it is not a whole lot different from last year.
He has seen just four offensive sets in scouting the Rams.
Defensively, South Haven showed a 53 stack with a blitz on nearly every play.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Brandywine at Lawrence
The Brandywine Bobcats hope to start the 2007 just like they did last year – with a victory over Lawrence.
The Bobcats opened the 20a06 campaign with a 22-6 win over the Tigers
Brandywine will not see their home field until the fourth week of the season.
The Bobcats are hopeful that their experience will help them through three consecutive road games.
Among those returning are quarterback Joel Perry and running back Caleb Frazier.
Brandywine was 4-5 last season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Centreville at Buchanan
The Buchanan Bucks have payback on their minds tonight as they entertain Centreville in a non-conference contest.
Centreville handed the Bucks a 19-0 setback in the season opener last year.
Look for the Bucks to run the ball early an often this season as they have a pair of outstanding running backs in Marquis Hall and Clinton Orr.
Hall rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in 2006, while Orr found the end zone plenty for the junior varsity team.
Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Cassopolis at Parchment
The Rangers have a hard act to follow.
After all, they were 9-0 last season and qualified for the state playoffs.
Despite some graduation losses, Cassopolis is still among the favorites to win the Lakeland Conference this season.
Led by sophomore running back DaShaun Curtis, who rushed for more than 1,700 yards last season, the Rangers open up on the road tonight in Parchment.
It is unknown how much playing time Curtis will receive after being cleared earlier this week to resume practicing. He suffered a sprained shoulder during preseason drills.
It will be the first of two road trips to open the season for Cass.
The Rangers defeated Parchment 54-35 last season.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Constantine at Edwardsburg
This is the last scheduled meeting between these two schools.
Constantine is switching to the Kalamazoo Valley Association in 2008, so this rivalry will end.
The Falcons have owned the Eddies throughout this eight-game series, winning every game.
Edwardsburg will show off its new offense tonight. The Eddies have switched to the power-T, which features a double tight, full-house backfield.
The offense relies on a series of fakes and demands flawless execution.
The man who has been put in charge of carrying out those fakes was supposed to be quarterback Adam Young. Young was injured in last week's scrimmage and will miss between two to four weeks.
The Eddies could use a pair of quarterbacks to replace young. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.