For Dowagiac and Edwardsburg there is no place like home to start the 2016 postseason.

For the second straight year, the Dowagiac football team began its postseason long before most of the other teams that qualified for the state playoffs.

That is because the Chieftains were in a must-win situation since week five when it was defeated by Edwardsburg and dropped to 2-3 on the year.

But Dowagiac showed its resilience once again, won the final four games of the 2016 regular season and were rewarded by a favorable draw, which includes a game at Chris Taylor-Alumni Field to open the playoffs.

The Chieftains culminated their comeback with a 22-7 victory over Paw Paw Friday night, which improved Dowagiac to 6-3 on the year.

When the MHSAA announced its playoff pairings on Fox Sports Detroit Sunday night, Dowagiac found out it would be at home for the first game of the Division 5 playoffs and would host former Lakeland Conference foe Buchanan.

The Chieftains and Bucks, who have faced each other since 1994, will kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday.

“We are pretty excited to have a home playoff game,” Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger said.

Dowagiac has won six straight games against Buchanan (5-3) dating back to 1989.

The last meeting between the Chieftains and the Bucks was a 41-7 win for Dowagiac in 1994.

Buchanan’s last victory over Dowagiac came in 1988, a 26-7 win when the two teams were members of the Lakeland Conference.

Stanger said that there is work to be done to prepare for the Bucks.

Buchanan only played an eight-game schedule this year and lost its first two games.

That means the Bucks had to win five of their final six games to reach the playoffs after going all the way to the regional finals in 2016.

And that is just what Buchanan did, beating playoff-bound Cassopolis in the process.

The Bucks’ only loss in that stretched was in overtime to Berrien Springs, which is in the other half of the district bracket.

Tickets are $ per person and will be available at the gate. No passes will be accepted.

 

Hamilton at Edwardsburg

The Eddies are back in the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.

Edwardsburg (9-0) reached the semifinals in 2010 and 2014.

The Eddies, champions of the Wolverine Conference, faced Hamilton in 2012 with the Hawkeyes winning 42-14.

Hamilton is 6-3 this year after winning its first five games, losing three straight and then beating Sparta 29-14 to earn an automatic qualifying berth.

In the other half of the bracket, St. Joseph and Lakeshore will square off Friday night. Both teams are 6-3.

“It is a tough district,” Edwardsburg coach Kevin Bartz said. “We were looking at three options. We thought it could be St. Joseph or Hamilton and if they sent us out East it would be Vicksburg. Hamilton was the one we thought was most likely.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Leo Hoffman Field

 

Bridgman at Cassopolis

Although it says that the Cassopolis Rangers are hosting Bridgman in the opening round of the Division 7 playoffs, the game will actually be played at Decatur High School at 7 p.m. Friday night.

The Rangers (8-1) earned a home game, but must play on the road as William F. Scott Field is currently under reconstruction.

Cassopolis and Bridgman (7-2) are both members of the BCS Athletic Conference, but play in different divisions and have not faced each other in the regular season since 2013.

The Rangers and Bees will be meeting for the third consecutive year in the postseason with the two teams splitting games in 2014 and 2015.

Cassopolis defeated the Bees 48-14 for the district championship last year. Bridgman won the district championship 17-14 in 2014.

The Rangers are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year and the 10th time in the last 11 seasons.

“Being the No. 1 see we still had choice of site,” Cassopolis coach Dan Purlee said. “We had a couple of places in mind. Decatur was gracious enough to let use their facility so we are going to do that.”

Purlee, his staff and his players will not be looking past Bridgman, but the Rangers could host as many as three games in the playoffs.

That would be a huge advantage for Cassopolis as it attempts to advance past the regionals this season.

The Rangers fell to state finalist Pewamo-Westphalia on the road 40-3 last season.

“We have not have that opportunity before, so I am hoping we can take advantage of it,” Purlee said about hosting three games.

There will be no pre-sale for tickets. All tickets must be purchased at the gate and no passes will be accepted.