Dowagiac set to renew rivalry with Three Rivers

Published 10:49 pm Thursday, September 8, 2016

Dowagiac and Three Rivers are set to renew their rivalry in a pivotal game for both schools tonight.

The Chieftains and Wildcats are both 1-1 heading into the third week of the season.

Dowagiac dropped its opening game to Vicksburg 17-7, while Three Rivers fell to Plainwell 49-20.

The Chieftains and Wildcats rebounded last week as Dowagiac defeated South Haven 40-12 and Three Rivers topped Allegan 36-14.

The Chieftains come into tonight’s contest having won seven of the last three meetings with the Wildcats, including last year’s 14-7 victory.

Veteran Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger said that Three Rivers will test the Chieftains on both sides of the football.

“Three Rivers’ strength is being well-balanced on offense and their defense has good overall speed,” he said.

Dowagiac has played well defensively in both games this season and has run the ball effectively against both the Bulldogs and Rams.
The difference between first-week loss and last Friday’s win was big plays on offense.

“We need to work on staying on our blocks down field until the whistle,” Stanger said. “We need to continue to work on communicating on defense. This team is going in the right direction. They are focused and hard-working. We just want to continue to improve each week.”

Teams generally make tremendous improvement between their first and second games and Dowagiac is not different.

I believe thus far this season, our offensive line has made the biggest improvement,” Stanger said.

Dowagiac and host Three Rivers are scheduled to kick off the Wolverine Conference contest at 7 p.m.