KALAMAZOO — The final score will read No. 1-ranked Dundee 73 and Dowagiac 6.

But that does not tell the entire story of the Division 3 state quarterfinals at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo Friday afternoon.

It does not tell about the heart that the Chieftain wrestling team showed in facing what many people believe is the best team in the state in any of class.

It does not tell the story of how, for the second straight season, Dowagiac had to take on the two-time defending champions, knowing that it would take a perfect storm for the Chieftains to pull off the upset.

Dowagiac coach Colin Burandt would like to tell a different story about how his team has gone from a losing record five years ago to winning three straight regional championships and appearing at the state finals for a third consecutive season.

He would like that story to tell just how hard his kids wrestled against the Vikings Friday night.

“That is probably the best team in the state,” Burandt said. “I thought we wrestled well overall. We went out there and had nothing to lose. We tried to win a couple matches, got one out of it.”

Burandt and the Chieftains will spend some time looking back at another successful season that included 23 victories against 10 losses. Of those 10 losses, only one was against a team in Division 3. One of the other losses was to Division 4 state powerhouse Mendon.

The Dowagiac coaching staff is going to spend some time following this weekend’s individual state tournament at Ford Field in Detroit trying to figure out how the team can be a better seeding that it has the last three years.

“We need to perform better in the regular season,” he said. “That way we have a better record and can get a better seed.”

On Friday, Dundee jumped out to a 22-0 lead with back-to-back technical falls at 160 and 171 pounds, and followed them up with pins at 189 and 215 pounds.

Dowagiac would get its lone victory of the night at 282 pounds when junior Wyatt Bailey pinned Kaiden Hubbell in 53 seconds.

“All week we’ve been talking about coming out here, performing, trying to beat guys,” Burandt said. “For [Bailey] to go out there and get a pin in front of a big crowd, it’s a good feeling.”

Dowagiac now shifts its focus to the individual state finals.

The Chieftains send Lamberto Paredes, Chris Schultz, Jordan Simpson and Bailey to Detroit.

Wrestling begins at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and wraps up with the semifinals starting at 7:30 p.m.

Wrestling resumes at 9 a.m. with consolation matches. The finals begin at 3:30 p.m.