When the Dowagiac varsity football team needed a big play to earn an automatic qualifying berth in the MHSAA playoffs, the Chieftains got one Friday night.

Trailing Paw Paw 46-41 with 3:05 remaining, the Chieftains went to the air while the Redskins stacked the box with nine players trying to stop the run.

Passes to Erik Walker and Austin Taggart set up Hunter Ayers’ 10-yard touchdown run to left Dowagiac to a 49-46 victory at Chris Taylor Alumni Field.

“We have never beat Paw Paw on our home field,” an emotional Head Coach Mike Stanger said.  “Our Seniors this year have never beat them. We are talking seventh grade all of the way through JV.  This win solidifies us in the playoffs at 6-3.

“Forget who scored touchdowns tonight, this game is all about heart and that’s what high school sports are all about. This group of kids has been like this all year, they don’t quit, they don’t hang their heads and they don’t point fingers. They just keep playing and it’s a joy to coach them.”

The opening kickoff did not go as planned for the Chieftains.

As Dowagiac stood ready to receive, Paw Paw lofted a short kick about 20 yards, which was ultimately fumbled and recovered by the Redskins.

Paw Paw then scored on its first offensive series on a Justin Middlebrooks 8-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Vorce, converting two fourth down conversions as well.

Dowagiac’s first offensive series yielded no shift in momentum. The Chieftains went backwards on all the three plays and had to punt the ball away.

Paw Paw’s momentum continued as Middlebrooks and Vorce connected two more times for 46 and 15 yards following unsuccessful offensive possessions and a turnover by Dowagiac.

Dowagiac looked to find its stride midway through the second quarter.

As Paw Paw marched down the field on its fourth possession, Middlebrooks ran an option play in the Chieftain red zone, which he fumbled and was recovered by junior linebacker Austin Jones.

An intentional grounding call on Neubauer nearly halted the Chieftain offense until he found junior wide receiver Marcus Winchester-Jones to convert a third-and-19.  Another third down conversion set the Cheiftains up on their own 45-yard line. The very next play Neubauer found Walker in the flat on the right side for a 55 yard touchdown pass.

Following the big pass play, Paw Paw and Dowagiac traded three and outs. Paw Paw ended the first half with the ball and ran the clock out.

The second half started out with a bang for Paw Paw as Ian Vandenberg ran the opening kickoff 89 yards to put Dowagiac behind three scores for the second time in the game.

From then on both teams traded punches.

In their first offensive series of the second half, two big plays by Neubauer put the Chieftains into the endzone.

Neubauer connected on a 42-yard pass to Ayers and then scampered 38 yards in consecutive plays to cut the Redskin lead in half.

Paw Paw used the air to wear down the Dowagiac secondary to set up a Middlebrooks 10 yard touchdown run.

Dowagiac’s big 50-yard run play by Walker set up a Neubauer 15-yard touchdown pass to Taggart.

With the Redskins frazzled, Dowagiac surprised Paw Paw with an onside kick of its own and recovered it.

A couple of penalties knocked the offense back, but a Neubauer 70-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Logan Eby cut the lead to six midway through the third quarter.

Both teams then traded punts until Neubauer found Walker again, this time for 86 yards through the air to tie the game at 34-34 late in the third quarter.

Just 13 seconds later, Vandenburg returned another kickoff for 74 yards for a touchdown, his second of the quarter.

Dowagiac’s return possession yielded no scoring opportunity. Taggart’s punt pinned the Redskins’ offense at their own 10-yard line. Paw Paw was unable to move forward and ended up going three and out and punting in their own end zone.

The Chieftains had excellent field position and tookd advantage of it to tie the game up again on a Walker 23-yard halfback pass to senior running back Nate Ward.

Senior kicker Chucky Nolke then gave the Chieftains their first lead of the game on the made extra point midway through the fourth quarter.

Paw Paw then took lead back on another Middlebrooks touchdown run from 10 yards out. The 2-point conversion was unsuccessful and the lead transitioned to 46-41 with 3:05 left in the game.

Following a short kickoff return, Dowagiac looked to take the lead back starting at their own 40-yard line.

“It was a tale of two halves,” Stanger said. “It was a pretty bad first half. But I told them that if they believe in themselves, it will happen. That was our word of the week, ‘believe.’ And that’s just it, these kids believed.”

 

DOWAGIAC 49, PAW PAW 46

At Dowagiac

Paw Paw               14            6               20            6 – 46

Dowagiac              0               6               28            15 – 49

PP – Justin Middlebrooks 8 yard pass to Jacob Vorce (conversion failed)

PP  – Middlebrooks 46 yard pass to Vorce (conversion good)

PP – Middlebrooks 15 yard pass to Vorce (conversion failed)

D – Anthony Neubauer 55 yard pass to Erik Walker (conversion failed)

PP­ – Ian Vandenberg 89 yard kickoff return (conversion good)

D – Neubauer 38 yard run (conversion good)

PP – Middlebrooks 10 yard run (conversion failed)

D – Neubauer 15 yard pass to Austin Taggart (conversion good)

D – Neubauer 70 yard pass to Logan Eby (conversion failed)

D – Neubauer 86 yard pass to Walker (conversion failed)

PP – Vandenberg 74 yard kickoff return (conversion failed)

D – Walker 23 yard pass to Nate Ward (Chucky Nolke kick good)

PP – Middlebrooks 10 yard run (conversion failed)

D – Hunter Ayers 10 yard run (conversion good)

Varsity records: Paw Paw 4-5, Dowagiac 6-3