By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The Niles Vikings will also be looking to rebound from a season-opening loss.
Niles coach Dan Brawley said that if his team could have eliminated three bad plays in the second quarter, the outcome could have been different.
Battle Creek Lakeview scored 21 points in the second quarter in posting its victory.
"Against a team like that, you just can't make the kind of mistakes that we made," Brawley said. "Other than those couple of plays, I thought we played pretty well. I think Lakeview was happy to get off the field. We definitely out hit them."
Brawley was pleased with the way many of his players stepped up. He particularly singled out Mike Dodd, Alex White and Trevor Ernsberger, who were all playing their first games.
"The kids we had question marks about because of a lack of experience all stepped up and performed well," he said. "I was really happy with how our kids refused to back down. We aren't going to get a lot of respect after last season, so I told them that we are going to have to go out and earn it."
Brawley said that Sturgis, a 49-28 winner over Kalamazoo Loy Norris last week, is a talented team.
Sturgis finished with 447 yards in total offense, of which 338 came on the ground.
The Trojan run a spread offense with trips, bunches and slot receivers.
The switch from playing an I-formation team to a spread offense is difficult, but Brawley was confident that his squad would put in the work and get the job done.
"I will guarantee you one thing, at 7:30 on Friday night we will be there and we will be ready to play some football," he said. "I think we are a pretty good smash-mouth football team and we are going to show that as the year goes along."
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Niles High School.
Dowagiac at Three Rivers
The goal for the Dowagiac varsity football team this week was simple – get better.
The Chieftains (0-1) are going to do that according to coach Mike Stanger by working on the basics.
Not going back to the basics, but working to improve on such things as tackling and pass coverage.
Dowagiac will be trying to rebound from its season-opening loss to South Haven when it heads to Three Rivers on Thursday night.
Stanger said that Three Rivers is similar to Dowagiac in that it too has had to replace a lot of players due to graduation.
"They mirror us," he said. "They only have four or five returning players. They have a sophomore quarterback who likes to run the ball if you give him a chance. He can also throw the ball."
The Wildcats ran a 4-4 defense against Allegan in a 14-7 loss on Saturday.
Stanger said Three Rivers showed a "50" front in its scrimmage, so the team has prepared for both defenses.
Dowagiac will play again this week without standout running back Jamie Simpson.
Stanger said that he thinks Simpson will be back for the Vicksburg game next week.
Also out is sophomore lineman Adam Roach. Roach could be gone as long as six week with a torn MCL. The results of a MRI were not known as of press time.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. on Thursday night at Three Rivers High School.
Brandywine at Centreville
Brandywine coach Terry Borr didn't have to go very far to find out about this week's opponent – Centreville.
After all, the Bulldogs played neighboring Buchanan last Friday night.
Buchanan had to hold off a late rally by Centreville (0-1) to pull out a 32-28 victory.
Meanwhile, over in Lawrence, the Bobcats were opening up their season with a 36-20 victory.
The main focus of attention this week for the Bobcats will be on Centreville's Cameron Jergens, who scored three touchdowns and three for another.
The Bulldogs run a spread offense, which really opens up the field for Jergens to operate.
Borr said his team got off to a slow start last week, but picked it up in the second half.
Caleb Frazier will be the object of the Bulldogs' attention this week on both sides of the football.
Frazier ran for 150 yards and scored twice on Friday night, while defensively he recovered a fumble for another score and intercepted two passes.
The Bobcats also got a good game from Warren Watson, who scored on a touchdown on a 65-yard run and threw for a 2-point conversion and caught a pass for a 2-point conversion.
Kickoff on Thursday night is slated for 7 p.m. at Centreville High School.
Buchanan at Bronson
The Buchanan Bucks will be looking to make it two straight Thursday night as they travel to Bronson for another non-conference contest.
The Bucks (1-0) opened up the season with a 32-28 victory over Centreville.
The Bucks led 14-6 after one quarter last Friday night and grabbed a 20-6 lead at halftime.
The two teams traded third quarter touchdowns before the Bulldogs outscored Buchanan 14-6 in the fourth quarter.
Marquis Hall's 18-yard touchdown run with 1:32 remaining in the contest gave the Bucks a season-opening victory.
Hall finished the night with 205 of Buchanan's 356 yards rushing. The Bucks were also 4-of-6 in the passing department for 110 yards.
Bronson also opened up its season last Friday night with a victory.
It was even more dramatic than Buchanan's.
The Vikings (1-0) were in a scoreless tie with Quincy late in the contest when quarterback Barry Martin appeared to be stopped short on fourth down.
Martin tossed the ball high into the air and watched as Justin Lippert made the catch and ran for a first down.
A couple of plays later, Martin scored from 6-yards out and Bronson had the 6-0 victory.
Bronson's defense limited Quincy to just 55 yards in total offense.
Quincy was 0-for-2 in the passing department.
Martin led the Bronson offense with 170 yards on 27 carries, while he was 2-of-7 throwing the football for another 23 yards.
Kickoff for Thursday night's contest in Bronson is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Edwardsburg at Kalamazoo Christian
Edwardsburg (0-1) will travel to Kalamazoo Christian on Friday night.
Perennial powerhouse Constantine 41-7 defeated the Eddies.
The Comets opened the season with a 42-0 rout of Berrien Springs.
Matt Postmus scored three times and rushed for 125 yards.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Cassopolis at Durand
The Cassopolis Rangers (1-0) will make the long trip to Durand on Thursday.
The kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. following the junior varsity contest.
Cassopolis opened the year with a 35-7 victory over Parchment. DaShaun Curtis rushed for 126 yards and scored three touchdowns.
Durand lost a 12-7 decision to Chesaning in its season opener.
Cody Wrenn recovered a fumble in the end zone for the lone score for Durand.