Buchanan edges Dowagiac in homecoming slugfest

Published 12:52 am Saturday, October 14, 2023

By Max Harden

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BUCHANAN —  Buchanan’s homecoming game against Dowagiac was a night Jamari Brown won’t soon forget.

The senior  intercepted an Isaiah Fitchett pass in the end zone as time expired to give the Bucks a 7-0 homecoming victory over the Chieftains.

Trailing 7-0 with 1:06 left in the game, Dowagiac blocked and recovered a Buchanan punt to take over at the Bucks 31-yard line with a chance to win or tie the game. A 25-yard completion to Josh Winchester-Jones with 4.1 seconds remaining set up the game’s final play.

“We didn’t want to tackle him out of bounds,” said Buchanan Coach Mark Frey. “We want the clock to keep running but also we didn’t really plan on them catching on the one either. But they stepped up and we had a senior step up big and pick it off at the end.”

“We work the two-minute drill every day and then every Thursday we go at it real hard and I thought we did a good job,” said Dowagiac Coach Duane Davis. “I thought we were calm. The quarterback did a good job settling everything; I was proud of him. That at the end was just a fluke play. It is what it is.”

While the weather conditions limited each team’s efficiency on offense, Buchanan was able to break the stalemate in the third quarter. With the game tied 0-0 after halftime, Leland Payne found an open lane and raced 57 yards into the end zone for what was the game-winning touchdown with 7:37 to go in the third quarter.

“We had seen earlier in the drive that they were shifting so we took advantage of that

and got behind our best lineman and our strong running back to pop it open for us. He did a heckuva job and ran a long way.”

Davis was proud of the way his team battled and handled adversity.

“We fought hard. I got guys in different positions because of the injuries and guys. Guys wh0 haven’t played [defensive end] for the whole year were playing defensive end for me. I couldn’t be proud of these guys. “They come to practice every day. They work hard. I’m so proud of them.. It’s a good job.”

Buchanan moved to 5-3 on the season and looks to clinch a playoff berth next week against 6-2 Union City.

“We’ve got a tough opponent,” Frey said. “Union City’s doing really well this year. They run a lot of the stuff we’ve seen already…If we can finish 6-3 and get back into the playoffs, that shows a little consistency for our program.”

Dowagiac, now with a 4-4 record, aims to keep its playoff hopes alive next week against Cassopolis. A win would give the Chieftains their first winning season since 2019.

“To go out and have a winning record at the end of the year, it’s a big one,” Davis said. “We haven’t had that in a long time. These kids have been through it and we’re really proud of them. Maybe we’ll have an opportunity to see the playoffs and see some of the teams we’ve played and maybe get some revenge.”

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