By SCOTT NOVAK
Niles Daily Star

If the Niles football team is going to rebound from its first loss of the season it will have to do it without quarterback Cameron Sly and wide receiver Myles Busby.

Sly dislocated his shoulder in the closing seconds of last Friday’s 20-18 loss to Marshall.
Sly did not return to the game and is out for this week’s game and questionable for the Portage Central contest the following Friday night.

“We need to do what is best for Cameron, he has taken snaps and thrown this week, but we do not want to take a chance on him getting hit again,” Niles coach Dan Brawley said.
Nick Lucero was 3-of-5 for 58 yards in the second half against the Redhawks.

Who will quarterback the Bears?
It is also unclear if Sean Guinane will be at the helm of the St. Joe offense tonight as he has missed the last two games due to mononucleosis.

The Bears are 1-1 in his abscence, having lost to Marshall (40-27) the first week, but rebounding to beat Battle Creek Harper Creek (35-14) last Friday night.

If Guinane is unable to go, Jeremy Rush, who has passed for nearly 300 yards will make his third straight start.

Vikings gain confidence after loss
Despite the tough loss, Brawley is confident in his team and his players are gaining confidence as well.

“After the Marshall loss I would say that we have a team that can compete with anyone in the conference,” he said. “We are not satisfied with only competing, we need to win against good teams.”

Kickoff at Dickenson Stadium in St. Joseph is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Brandywine at Berrien Springs
The Bobcats didn’t have long to celebrate their first win under new coach Mike Nate.
Brandywine needed to start focusing on their Lakeland Conference opener against host Berrien Springs.

The Bobcats (1-1) continue to play good defense and came up with just enough offense to squeak by Centreville.

The Shamrocks also are looking for offense.

Berrien Springs (1-1) is coming off a 41-15 loss to Hopkins last week after opening the season with a 29-22 victory over Decatur in the season opener.

Brandywine quarterback Stone Hadley, who had expected to be throwing a lot to tight end Jacob Frazier, may have found a new favorite target in Cody Udell.

Udell caught both touchdown passes last Friday night, including a beauty with his finger tips.

Kickoff in Berrien Springs is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Buchanan at Bridgman
The Lakeland Conference opener couldn’t come at a better time for the Buchanan football team.

The Bucks are coming off two straight losses and are hoping to rebound against Bridgman Friday night.

Buchanan, like Brandywine, are looking to find some offense against the Bees.
In losses to Wyoming Kelloggsville (36-6) and Bronson (26-16), the Bucks have scored just 20 points.

Buchanan did improve on offense from its first game, rolling up 232 yards, including 129 on the ground.

Bryan Kuntz was 9-of-19 through the air for 103 yards.

Unlike the Bobcats, Buchanan must find a way to shore up its defensive effort.
The Bucks have allowed 62 points in its first two games.

Bridgman enters tonight’s contest with an 1-1 record having defeated New Buffalo 41-0 in its opener and falling 14-13 last week at Eau Claire.

Kickoff at Bridgman High School is set for 7 p.m.