By SCOTT NOVAK
Niles Daily Star

The Dowagiac varsity golf team will begin its quest for a Division 3 state championship on Friday in Allendale.

The Chieftains, who finished tied for second at the regional last week, will play at The Meadows on the campus of Grand Valley State University.

Dowagiac tied with Grand Rapids South Christian for the runner-up spot after shooting 307.

Jackson Lumen Christi will bring in the lowest regional score as it shot 304 to win its championship last week.

Grand Rapids West Catholic, which won the regional that the Chieftains competed in, will have the second lowest score heading to the finals with a 306.

Also competing for the team title will be Big Rapids (309), Charlevoix (311), Detroit Country Day (323), Flint Powers Catholic (334), Grosse Ile (322), Hanover-Horton (329), Ithaca (324), Lansing Catholic (328), Macomb Lutheran North (329), Remus Chippewa Hills (316) and Saginaw Nouvel (327).

Dowagiac will send Chris Craft, Max Howe, Cody Fairleigh, Kyle Ward and Jordan Juday to the finals.

Ward led the way at the regionals with a 75, while Craft and Howe both shot 76.

Fairleigh finished with an 80 and Juday, just a freshman, shot 82.

Veteran Chieftain coach Van Johnson said his team still has room for improvement even though it shot its best score of the season at the regional tournament.

West Catholic’s Sam Weatherhead, a regional medalist, brings in the best score after shooting 71 last week.

South Christian’s Balke Devries brings a 72 to the finals, while Blaze Hogan, a sophomore from Big Rapids, fired a 73 in regional competition. Nick Reynolds of Lumen Christi also finished with a 73 last week to lead the Titans.

Over in Division 2, which will play its final at Forest Akers West on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Niles’ Chris Noble will compete for a individual state championship.

Noble shot 73 to tie for medalist honors at the regional, but lost on the third hole of the playoff.

Noble had a two-day total of 155 in 2009 to finish just outside the top 10.