Veteran Dowagiac coach Mike Stanger is hoping that some home cooking will be just the recipe to get the Chieftain football team on the right track.

The Chieftains (0-1) are looking to rebound from a 38-27 loss to Vicksburg in the season opener in which it lost a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to the Bulldogs.

Three Rivers comes to town fresh off a 35-15 victory over Plainwell last Thursday night.

Inconsistency plagued Dowagiac in its opener against the Bulldogs in all three phases of the game, according to Stanger.

Dowagiac moved the ball well at times against Vicksburg, which led to the 27-17 lead with 4:15 to play in the third quarter, but when it counted most, the Chieftains were unable to get anything going offensively.

On the defensive side of the football, Dowagiac made some plays, especially in first half, but could not contain Vicksburg quarterback Garrett  Ketelaar, who finished with 215 yards rushing. Ketelaar ran for a touchdown and threw for two more.

“I do not think we played great football Thursday night,” Stanger said. “The effort was there, but I would say it was average or close to average at best. We have a lot of room for improvement.

“We know we are young in some spots and we just have to continue to work to get better on both sides of the ball.”