By SCOTT NOVAK
Dowagiac Daily News

The next two weeks are the biggest of the season for the Dowagiac football team as it tries to keep in step with Three Rivers for a possible share of the Wolverine Conference title and a shot at a home playoff game.

Most believe that the Chieftains must win their final two games to host a first round contest.

Dowagiac enters Friday night’s clash with 5-2 Otsego at Chris Taylor-Alumni Field having already secured a spot in the post season with six victories.

The 6-1 Chieftains will finish the 2009 regular season at Paw Paw on Oct. 23.

Now that Dowagiac has landed itself in the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, the Chieftains can focus and beating the Bulldogs and Redskins in hopes of playing at home the opening weekend of the post season.

The only real drama left for the team is what division it will play in.

Dowagiac has been in Division 4 the previous four seasons, but it appears the Chieftains could be headed to Division 5 this year.

The placing of the team will not be known for sure until after the final games are played and the exact playoff teams are determined.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association will divide the 256 playoff qualifiers into eight equal divisions.

There are currently 215 teams with five or more wins. Teams with four wins or better ups the total to 315 schools.

So it is hard to determine still just what division Dowagiac would fall into.

The Chieftains are one of six area teams who have already qualified for the post season. The others are Cassopolis (fourth straight year), St. Joseph, Lakeshore, White Pigeon and Three Rivers.

Moving to the top
With its 34-10 win over Gull Lake last Friday night, Dowagiac took over the top spot in scoring offense in the Wolverine Conference.

The Chieftains are now averaging 38.7 points per game. Three Rivers is second at 37.1 and Gull Lake third at 27.8.

Otsego has scored 164 points this season and given up 147.