Team generally show the most improvement between their first and second games.

That was the case with Niles, Dowagiac, Cassopolis, Brandywine and Edwardsburg.

But despite the improvement, all five head coaches said that there was still plenty of work to be done as the Vikings, Chieftains, Rangers, Bobcats and Eddies head into week No. 3.

 

Niles at Fairfield

With two games under their belts, area football coaches are beginning to get a sense of where their teams stand.

As they head into week No. 3, several teams are hitting the road for the first time this season. For others, getting a taste of playing away from home has been beneficial.

The Niles Vikings are 2-0 for the second time in three years, but something about this start feels different.

The Vikings were just 2-7 a season ago, but new head coach Joe Sassano is attempting to change the culture of the program and a come-from-behind win at Mattawan in the closing seconds last Thursday night may be a step in the right direction.

After giving up the go-head touchdown to the Wildcats with less than two minutes to play, Niles showed some poise and desire as it drove down the field, scoring the game-winning touchdown on an Alex Harpenau quarterback keeper.

Sassano is hoping to take that momentum south of the border Friday night when the Vikings play in Goshen, Indiana against Fairfield High School.

“I feel we stand in a good position to build on our success and continue to improve each week,” Sassano said.

The first-year Niles coach likes how his defense has played in the first two games and has been happy with the running game of the Vikings.

But there is still plenty of work to be done if Niles is going to turn the fortunes of its program around.
Sassano said playing with consistency and finishing drives will be the keys moving forward.

Friday night at Fairfield, the Vikings will face a team that has plenty of talent.

“Their strength is they run multiple formations and have many good skilled players,” Sassano said. “I am not sure if they have any weaknesses.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Dowagiac at Three Rivers

With two games under their belts, area football coaches are beginning to get a sense of where their teams stand.

As they head into week No. 3, several teams are hitting the road for the first time this season. For others, getting a taste of playing away from home has been beneficial.

At Dowagiac, the Chieftains did not play poorly in a season opening 17-7 loss to Vicksburg.

In fact, the Chieftains moved the ball and with the exception of two big plays, turned in a solid defensive performance.

Both the offensive and defensive lines are improving each week, while the Dowagiac running game has steadily been churning up the yards, including nearly 400 last week against South Haven.

Senior lineman Collin Dussel, who missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in the opener against Vicksburg, said he is getting better each and every week.

That is a good sign as Dussel plays on both sides of the football.

“We bounced back from a tough loss and it feels good to win,” Dussel said following the 40-12 victory over South Haven. “We played Dowagiac Chieftain football tonight. We cleaned stuff up and punched things in on offense. We had a great push on the D-line. I think we had like six sacks on the night.”

Dussel admitted to be a bit tired following the season opener. Last Friday night was a different story.

“Tonight I am not exhausted at all,” he said. “I feel a lot better than last week. The knee held up great and everything is good. I am back to 100 percent.”

Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger also had high praise for the offensive and defensive lines.

“I thought the offensive line did a great job two weeks in a row,” he said. “Last week we were close to 300 yards rushing if you take away the sack yardage.”

Stanger also pointed out that the Chieftains have a lot of players who can carry the football.

“I thought Erik (Walker) and Kevin (Whitaker) did a great job,” he said. “Richard Payne did a great job coming in when Hunter Ayers got hurt.”

The Chieftains are hitting the road for the first time in 2016.

Dowagiac heads to Three Rivers to face a Wildcat team that is 1-1 after losing to Plainwell and beating Allegan.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Cassopolis at New Buffalo

The Cassopolis football team is off to a fast start after beating Brandywine and perennial state power Mendon to open the season.

The Rangers head to New Buffalo Friday night for another BSC Athletic Conference contest.

According to coach Dan Purlee, the Bison (2-0) have been executing well on offense and have posted back-to-back shutouts against Wyoming Lee and Centreville.

New Buffalo has outscored its opponents 78-0 through the first two games.

Cassopolis opened the season with a 32-16 win over the Bobcats and then defeated the Hornets 33-14 last Friday night.

Despite the two comfortable victories, Purlee says there is still plenty of work to do.

“We need to get our running game going a little better,” he said. “We need to tackle better and play smarter. We have a long way to go. Fortunately this team has room for growth and improvement.”

Purlee has been pleased with the Rangers’ ability to throw the ball and has improved its passing game each week.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Lake Michigan at Brandywine

The Bobcats are 1-1 after two weeks and have yet to leave the friendly confines of Selge Field.

Lake Michigan Catholic (2-0) is the next opponent to face the Bobcats on their home turf.

Brandywine lost a 32-16 decision to Cassopolis in its season opener, but rebounded with a 36-8 win over Detroit Edison last Thursday night.

Brandywine’s defense played well against Edison and if the Bobcats are going to challenge for both a BCS Athletic Conference division title and a playoff berth, the defense will have to continue to improve.

Brandywine coach Mike Nate said after two weeks, he has seen steady improvement from his squad.

“I think we are getting better,” he said. “We are pretty balanced. We are throwing. We are running and we are using a lot of different people. Our defense came on last week pretty good. I am pretty pleased with the progress so far.”

Nate said his team says his team needs to continue to have good practices in preparation for each opponent and that it needs to take each game one at a time.

“It is a short week with the holiday and with school starting,” he said. “Things change a little bit believe it or not when school starts. It is a whole different routine for the kids.”

Nate said that with Lake Michigan Catholic being 2-0, the Lakers are coming to Brandywine filled with confidence.

“It is a must-win for us,” he said. “So we will attack it appropriately and try and improve in all phases of the game. We still have to win five games to make the playoffs. We have a really good schedule with Parchment, Buchanan and Bridgman on it. New Buffalo is 2-0. So our schedule is pretty solid.”

Playing the first three games at home has been helpful in allowing the Bobcats to find its identity. But it will pay the price later in the season when it goes on the road for four of its final six games.

“It was good,” Nate said. “We were originally supposed to go on the road the second week, but we picked up De troit Edison and luckily it was home. That is good, but down the road we are going to be on the road a lot. We are glad to have the games at home because we are more comfortable with surroundings.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Edwardsburg at Otsego

The defending Wolverine Conference champions are off to a great start having defeated Allegan and Vicksburg in convincing fashion.

The Eddies (2-0) will be on the road for a second straight week as they had to Otsego (0-2) has lost to Paw Paw and Sturgis to open the season.

Veteran Edwardsburg coach Kevin Bartz is pleased with what he has seen so far, but knows there is much to be done.

“We need to work on detailing our offense,” he said. “The backs need to be more precise with footwork and paths. The linemen need to stay lower and be able to pick up blitzing linebackers. Defensively, we need to contain the edge better.

“After two games I am pleased with our progress. We have a lot of inexperienced players that are getting better. The pieces are starting to fit into place.”

The Eddies will face an Otsego team that has a quarterback that is quick and a talented tight end.

On the flipside, the Bulldogs are an undersized team.

Bartz feels that Otsego has not been consistent offensively so far this season and that defensively, because of its lack of size, may have difficulties containing the Eddies’ offensively.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.