SOUTH HAVEN — The Dowagiac freshmen football team opened its season last Wednesday with a 28-13 victory over host South Haven.

Dantae Murphy led the Chieftains with 108 yards on six carries with a touchdown. Bryce Dodd added a pair of rushing touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass to Chase Camp.

Anthony Burling had eight tackles to lead Dowagiac’s defensive effort.

“This was a typical week one game for freshman football,” Dowagiac coach Tony Scaccia said. “We made some mistakes and fell behind early.  I was really proud of the way our kids fought back and took control of the game.  We will work hard this week to get ready for Three Rivers.”

JV football

The Dowagiac JV football team dropped a 40-28 decision to South Haven Wednesday.

Jason Webber had three touchdowns for the Chieftains, while Lucas Petro returned a kickoff for a score.

“We are hurting,” Dowagiac coach Matt Alward said. “We have a lot of injuries right now. We finished the game with only 13 players and some of them were dinged up.”