By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
It will all be on the line Friday night when Paw Paw comes to Chris Taylor-Alumni Field for the regular season finale for both schools.
A piece of the Wolverine Conference championship and a first round home playoff game will be hanging in the balance when the Chieftains and Redskins strap it up on Friday night for the 7 p.m. kickoff.
A lot of people thought the Redskins (7-1) were a conference contender before the season started and with good reason. Paw Paw was returning a wealth of talent.
Not many people were picking the Chieftains (7-1) to compete for the title due to heavy graduation losses, including standout running back Jamie Simpson.
But here they are – Paw Paw and Dowagiac – looking for a piece of their first league title. A win secures no less than a tie with Three Rivers, which faces arch rival Vicksburg on Friday night.
A win also all but locks up a home game in the Michigan High School Athletic Association football playoffs.
"We are going to treat this just like any other game," Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger said. "We are preparing the best we can just like every other week. We are breaking down film and the kids are working hard in practice. We are going to show up on Friday night and play the best we can."
Both teams have already qualified on wins, so now all that is left is to see if they will host a first round game or have to hit the road.
The MHSAA Selection Sunday Show will be seen on Fox Sports Detroit on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
Paw Paw is coming off a huge victory over winless Allegan last Friday night, 41-21.
The score, however, is a bit misleading.
The Redskins scored a pair of late touchdowns against the Tigers to open up some breathing room.
Armand Brown and Cody Carr provided a pretty solid 1-2 punch for Paw Paw on the ground.
Brown rushed for 227 yards and five touchdowns against Allegan last week, while Carr added 64 yards on the ground.
The Redskins love to run the football, but quarterback Chris Hagger was an efficient 7-of-13 for 66 yards last week in the victory.
"They are definitely a ground control team," Stanger said. "They are good. They have that Brown kid who can definitely run the ball. We are going to have to tackle him low. They are a big team. They've got good size up front. They returned 21 starts, so they are good in a lot of areas.
"They definitely would rather run it. But when you watch them on films, they run it so well that it opens up the door for throwing. Because of that, on certain downs, they will throw the ball and then come back to the run if its not successful. They are very confident in their running game."
The Chieftains were in the exact opposite position in their win over Otsego.
Dowagiac led big and then had to hang on against the feisty Bulldogs after sustaining several injuries during the contest.
Despite being depleted at running back due to injuries and other issues, the Chieftains were still able to put 36 points on the board and rush for 253 yards.
Senior fullback Greg Nelson continues to lead the way for the Chieftains and he scored a pair of touchdowns and finished with 114 yards on 16 totes.
Jon Myers added 64 yards, while Troy Butcher had 27 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore quarterback Austin Adams was 4-of-11 for 55 yards and a score.
Defensively the Chieftains gave up 157 yards on the ground and another 162 yards through the air to the Bulldogs.
David Stark, Brandon Roberts and Adam Roach all had five tackles for the Chieftains. Butcher had an interception, which he returned for a touchdown.
Cody Cox recovered a fumble for the Chiefs.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Chris Taylor-Alumni Field.
Cassopolis at Edwardsburg
The Rangers will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak when they travel to face arch rival Edwardsburg on Friday night.
Cassopolis will have to do so without standout running back DaShaun Curtis, who injured his ankle in the Rangers' loss to Coloma last Friday night.
The Eddies will be trying to rebound from a 42-21 loss to Berrien Springs, which ended Edwardsburg's hope of qualifying for the playoffs.
The Eddies (4-4, 4-2 Lakeland) will also be trying to snap a two-game losing streak to the Rangers (6-2, 4-2).
Kickoff at Leo Hoffman Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.