BUCHANAN, Mich. ― Dowagiac head football coach Duane Davis first met most of the Chieftains’ 13 seniors during the summer between their seventh and eighth grade years. They were introduced to each other in the weight room, where many of those seniors discovered they could be true, high-level high school football contributors.
Once that class of Chieftains made it to high school, they finished their freshman year 2-7. Their sophomore campaign ended at 5-4, and their junior season was a 6-4 finish that saw Dowagiac make the MHSAA playoffs for the first time since 2019.
On Friday, Oct. 10, this same group broke two more droughts with a 40-26 win against Buchanan. It was the first time the Chieftains had beaten the Bucks since 2016, and the victory also meant Dowagiac clinched a three-way-share of the Lakeland Conference title with Buchanan and Berrien Springs.
The Chieftains had never won the Lakeland Conference prior to Friday night, and they hadn’t won any conference championships since 2012. Senior running back Quentin Hill was more focused on this history-making accomplishment than he was on his three touchdowns being a significant reason why the feat was possible.
“It feels great, but it feels better being conference champions for the first time in 13 years,” Hill said. “A lot of people doubted us.”
If there was one person paying attention to the 2025 Dowagiac Chieftains who didn’t doubt them, it was their head coach.
“They’re on the same path that I am,” Davis said. “They said it all week, ‘Coach, we have to get this one.’ Those guys have my back, and it shows.”
Buchanan opened the game lively, as sophomore running back Max Cornelius rushed for an 11-yard touchdown to put the Bucks ahead 6-0 within the first four minutes of play. However, Dowagiac fired right back with Hill’s first touchdown of the night, a 32-yarder that knotted the game at six apiece.
The Chieftains’ ground game stood out all evening Friday, and they truly established their dominance running the ball on their second drive. Senior Devin Rock opened things up with a 60-yard rush, then senior Isaiah Weatherspoon broke three tackles for a 15-yard gain before senior Cameron White hit paydirt from four yards out.
Dowagiac extended its lead to 20-6 a few minutes later with Hill’s second score of the game, this time courtesy of a 17-yard rush. At this point, Buchanan head coach Mark Frey said the Bucks’ defense came into the game “sleepy,” getting duped on fake hand-offs and reverse rushes.
Finally, halfway through the second quarter, Buchanan’s offense responded when junior quarterback Cy Carlin found junior Brody Reed for a 44-yard touchdown to put the Bucks within eight points of the Chieftains. The Bucks couldn’t capitalize on this momentum, as Rock rushed for a five-yard touchdown less than 90 seconds before halftime to put Dowagiac back ahead by 15 points.
Defense dominated in a scoreless third quarter, but Buchanan found life again when Carlin connected with Reed on an 11-yard pass for their second touchdown of the game. A successful 2-point conversion put the Bucks just seven points behind Dowagiac to start the fourth, seemingly with all the momentum on their side.
That was until Hill silenced the Buchanan sideline and sent the Chieftains into a frenzy with a 48-yard rushing touchdown on the following drive. Dowagiac went ahead 33-20 with just six minutes left to play.
“I just dug into the ground as hard as I could,” Hill said. “I knew the team needed it.”
To add insult to injury, the Chieftains not only stopped the Bucks’ next offensive drive, but senior quarterback Skyler Vincek hit Rock for a 44-yard touchdown to give Dowagiac a commanding 40-20 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Despite Buchanan’s duo of Carlin and Reed finding the end zone for the third time on the Bucks’ following drive, their effort was too little, too late. Dowagiac (5-2, 3-1 Lakeland) came out on top, officially cementing their status as shared conference champions.
Buchanan (4-3, 3-1 Lakeland) technically accomplished the same goal, but the feeling was bittersweet for Frey.
“It’s going to be a wave of [emotions] over the next week,” Frey said. “We just have to make sure we weather those.”
Davis noted that Friday night was the first time he had ever beaten Frey head-to-head, something in which he takes great pride. A reflective Davis also thought back to the first time Dowagiac’s current senior class walked into his weight room before they had even started eighth grade. It’s a full-circle moment, Davis said, even when he watches the Chieftains’ seniors get out of their cars each time they arrive at practice.
And yet, Davis hasn’t been surprised by Dowagiac’s senior class’s ability to back up their promise they made to him five years ago.
“When you get us, we’re going to be different,” Davis recalled the senior class telling him as seventh graders. “And this senior group is different … I love these guys.”
Kyle Smedley is a high school sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Dowagiac football seniors live up to promise, make history in win over Buchanan
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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