High school football season set to begin [The Herald-Palladium, St. Joseph, Mich.]

Aug. 26--Marshall at St. Joseph

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Marshall 13-1, St. Joseph 9-3

Last year's game -- Marshall won 40-27

About the game -- Marshall won the Division 4 state title last season but lost star running back Jamar Wimberly to graduation. How strong the Marshall ground game that overwhelmed St. Joseph last year is without Wimberly remains to be seen.

St. Joseph lost four Division II recruits to graduation. One of those, quarterback Sean Guinane, missed action due to illness early in the season, however, so this year's starter, Jeremy Rush, returns with some experience under center.

Stats and stuff -- St. Joseph is 3-1 in season-openers under coach Elliot Uzelac, with last year's loss to Marshall the only blemish. Last year's win over St. Joseph was one of seven games in which Marshall scored 40 or more points.

Lakeshore at Sturgis

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Lakeshore 8-3, Sturgis 0-9

Last year's game -- Lakeshore won 49-0

About the game -- Lakeshore appears to be an overwhelming favorite in this matchup even without coach Denny Dock, who will be serving a one-game MHSAA suspension issued over the summer. The Lancers have plenty of experience back from last year's squad, with three full-time starters and a number of part-time starters back on offense and defense.

Sturgis is looking to improve after going 2-25 over the past three seasons.

Stats and stuff -- Lakeshore has won its last three season-openers by a combined score of 138-6. Despite its winless season last year, Sturgis was shut out only twice, by Lakeshore and by Battle Creek Harper Creek.

Benton Harbor at Battle Creek Central

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Benton Harbor 1-8, Battle Creek Central 2-7

Last year's game -- Battle Creek Central won 27-7

About the game -- Both squads are looking to recover from disappointing 2009 seasons. Benton Harbor's one win was, at least, a step up after two winless campaigns. In his second year atop the program, coach Larry Jackson is hoping to see more progress.

Battle Creek Central is looking to return to its winning ways. The Bearcats finished .500 or better 10 years in a row prior to last season's 2-7 mark.

Stats and stuff -- Benton Harbor has lost three straight season openers after winning three in a row from 2004 through 2006.

Niles at Coldwater

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Niles 4-5, Coldwater 2-7

Last year's game -- Niles won 50-15

About the game -- Niles is looking for its first winning record since 2002, and opening against a Coldwater squad that hasn't had a winning mark since 1989 is a good place to start.

Niles should be able to use depth to its advantage, as coach Dan Brawley plans on using 22 starters with no players working on both sides of the ball.

Stats and stuff -- Niles posted its third straight 4-5 season last year. Last year's loss to Niles was the first of six times Coldwater allowed 40 or more points.

Dowagiac at South Haven

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Dowagiac 8-2, South Haven 1-8

Last year's game -- Dowagiac won 41-6

About the game -- Dowagiac is among the favorites in the Wolverine Conference, having finished second last year while champion Three Rivers suffered heavy graduation losses.

South Haven returns four offensive linemen, its quarterback and its top running back and receiver, so the Dowagiac defense may get a good early test.

Stats and stuff -- Defense has not been a prominent feature of recent meetings between the two teams. Since Dowagiac joined the Wolverine Conference in 2006, the winning team in five meetings between the two squads has scored an average of 52.6 points. Dowagiac is 4-1 in those games, yielding 70 points in the one loss.

Watervliet at Coloma

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Watervliet 8-2, Coloma 5-4.

Last year's game -- Coloma won 21-12.

About the game -- Coloma has a 10-year winning streak over Watervliet, and coach Mark Eddy expects to have a similar team to the last few seasons. Watervliet has been closing the gap in recent seasons, losing by just two points in 2008 and nine points last year. Coloma was the only team to defeat Watervliet in the 2009 regular season.

Stats and stuff -- Coloma and Watervliet celebrated the 100th anniversary of their rivalry last season. Coloma leads the series with a 62-33-6 record.

Gary Wallace at Hartford

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Gary Wallace 1-8, Hartford 4-5.

Last year's game -- Teams did not meet last season.

About the game -- Hartford returns 13 starters from last year's team and hopes to bounce back after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Wallace opened the Indiana high school season last week with a 40-14 loss to River Forest.

Stats and stuff -- Wallace hasn't had a winning season since 1995. Hartford has had 10 winning seasons in that span.

Berrien Springs at Decatur

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Berrien Springs 9-3, Decatur 6-4.

Last year's game -- Berrien Springs won 29-22 (OT).

About the game -- Berrien Springs won a district championship last season, but returns just six starters. Decatur will have to find a way to replace 2,500-yard rusher A.J. Jackson.

Stats and stuff -- The two teams have had very competitive season openers the last two years, with the Raiders winning 22-21 in 2008 and the Shamrocks needing overtime to take last year's contest.

Buchanan at Wyoming Kelloggsville

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Buchanan 5-4, Kelloggsville 10-1

Last year's game -- Kelloggsville won 36-6.

About the game -- Buchanan shared the Lakeland Conference championship last season, but lost all three of its non-conference games. The Bucks will look for a better start against Kelloggsville, whose only loss last season was a 35-26 defeat to Berrien Springs in the district championship game.

Stats and stuff -- Buchanan running back Cordel Johnson will try to reach the 1,000-yard mark this season after coming up just short with 998 yards in 2009.

Covert at Baldwin

4 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Covert 1-8, Baldwin 2-7.

Last year's game -- teams did not meet last season.

About the game -- Covert will look to its defense to improve on last season's record. Baldwin will be looking forward to playing a game on the first week of the season after getting a forfeit win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian to start 2009.

Stats and stuff -- Covert and Baldwin played each other for nine consecutive years from 1993-2001. Covert finished 5-4 in the series, winning the last five meetings after dropping the first four.

Eau Claire at River Forest

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Eau Claire 6-4, River Forest 2-8.

Last year's game -- Eau Claire won 39-0.

About the game -- Eau Claire is hoping to open up its offense this season to take advantage of tall tight ends Doug Trail and Jackson Harner. Although River Forest has struggled with the Beavers recently, the Ingots are off to a better start this season after beating Gary Wallace 40-14 in their opener.

Stats and stuff -- Eau Claire has beaten River Forest four straight seasons by an average margin of over 28 points per game.

Wyoming Lee vs. Michigan Lutheran

7 p.m. Friday at New Buffalo

Last year's records -- Lee 0-9, Lutheran 5-4.

Last year's game -- Lutheran won 16-12.

About the game -- Lutheran surprised Lee in last season's opener and went on to reach the playoffs in its varsity season since 1984. The Titans return most of last season's roster.

Stats and stuff -- Titans quarterback Josh Lane is back after throwing for 1,276 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2009.

New Buffalo at Bloomingdale

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- New Buffalo 0-9, Bloomingdale 1-8.

Last year's game -- teams did not meet last season.

About the game -- Both teams will look to improve after struggling in 2009. New Buffalo returns 10 starters, while Bloomingdale will look for help from last season's 9-0 junior varsity team.

Stats and stuff -- New Buffalo went 5-2 against Bloomingdale from 1995-2001.

Bangor at Cassopolis

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Bangor 4-5, Cassopolis 6-4.

Last year's game -- Cassopolis won 60-12.

About the game -- Bangor is hoping to have an improved defense and avoid lopsided losses like last season's opener with Cassopolis. The Rangers have a new coach in Bernard Thomas.

Stats and stuff -- Thomas had a 109-39 record in 15 seasons as head coach at Dowagiac.

Lake Michigan Catholic at Athens

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Lake Michigan Catholic 3-6, Athens 1-8

Last year's game -- Teams did not meet

About the game -- Catholic will be looking for more success out of its single-wing offense this season, as most of the top skill position players are returning. Play up front will be critical for the Lakers, as there is less experience on the line.

Stats and stuff -- The last time these two teams met was in 2006, when Athens won 44-34. Those types of shootouts are familiar to Athens, which had a 60-46 win and a 62-37 loss last season.

Bridgman vs. G. Rapids NorthPointe Christian

7 p.m. Friday at Grand Rapids Northview

Last year's records -- Bridgman 2-7, NorthPointe 6-4

Last year's game -- Teams did not meet

About the game -- The first game of Bridgman's independent era, as the Bees will not be competing in the Lakeland Conference for football. NorthPointe presents a new but solid opponent, as the Mustangs are only in their third year playing football but qualified for the playoffs last season.

Bridgman will hope to ride its ground game to victory, as the Bees have several seniors in the offensive backfield.

Stats and stuff -- Getting away from the Lakeland may big a big plus for Bridgman. The Bees were 0-6 in the Lakeland last season, losing by an average margin of 37.2 points. Out of the league, Bridgman was 2-1 against three Red Arrow opponents, including wins by 40 and 41 points.

River Valley at La Porte La Lumiere

4:30 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- River Valley 2-7, La Lumiere 1-7

Last year's games -- La Lumiere won 12-0; River Valley won second meeting by forfeit

About the game -- Two teams that struggled last season meet in an opener that could give either a good start on 2010. Greater numbers at River Valley mean more depth.

The Mustangs should be improved on defense with seven starters returning.

Stats and stuff -- River Valley's shutout loss to La Lumiere was an odd result last season. The Mustangs were only blanked one other time and averaged a respectable 19 points in their other games, while La Lumiere yielded an average of 48.2 points in its other six games.

Brandywine at Lawrence

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Brandywine 3-6, Lawrence 4-5

Last year's game -- Lawrence won 14-8 in overtime

About the game -- It's the first chance for Lawrence to impress new coach Cody Caswell, who previously guided the junior varsity at Vicksburg.

The Tigers will over to overcome a disadvantage in raw numbers, as turnout at Lawrence is down while it is increasing at Brandywine for coach Mike Nate's second season.

Stats and stuff -- The two squads have opened the season with this matchup every year since 2003. Brandywine is 4-3 in the series, winning four in a row from 2005 through 2008.

Lawton at Fennville

7 p.m. Friday

Last year's records -- Lawton 7-3, Fennville 4-5

Last year's game -- Lawton won 27-26

About the game -- Fennville is hoping for improvement on defense, but stopping a solid Lawton team will be a challenge in the opener. A solid group of returning skill position players for Fennville will mean the test for Lawton's defense will be tough as well.

Stats and stuff -- The teams have met the past five seasons in Southwestern Athletic Conference non-divisional play, with Lawton holding a 3-2 edge. Fennville's two wins were by 28 and 20-point margins.

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