Fast paced, physical, intense. . . Everything you want a rivalry match to be. On a cool evening in Plainwell, a crowd gathered to watch a spectacle that did not disapoint from either perspective. If you were a neutral observer you were treated to a midfield battle that raged on throughout the entire match, and a powerful Plainwell attack that looked to set a tough Otsego back line on its heels.

State ranked Plainwell was the easy favorite headed into the night. They already had the Wolverine clinched, and were undefeated in conference with only a draw to second place Edwardsburg to blemish their record slightly. Otsego sat in 5th place in the Wolverine after a couple early season stumbles, but were in good form winning 8 of their last 9 matches. Otsego aimed to shut down Plainwell talisman, and NCAA D1 commit Luke Morrell. A balanced approach in the attack had helped Otsego in their success this season with 5 players all tallying double digit point totals to that point.

The first half was back and forth, with Plainwell having the better of possession in wide areas and Otsego controling the middle of the park. Plainwell got in behind a number of times through TerMeer and Morrell, but were shut down each time by Jerin Jameson and Cole Sallee, with some timely work coming off his line from goalkeeper Jayden Jameson. Halftime came, and there was a buzz in the stands. Nobody was on the board yet, and it was beginning to get more physical as the half wore on. Fans on both sides were excited to se what the second half would bring!

The second frame did not disappoint, but Plainwell was certainly ready to start imposing their will on the match. They established possession, and pinned the Dawgs deep in their own third for the first 10 minutes of the half. Counterattack opportunities through Loll, Timmerman, and Atwater were snuffed out by the Jack Hyames led backline of Plainwell. A number of free kick decisions went Plainwell's way, but all were handled well by Dentler and the Bulldog defense. Both teams were still searching for a breakthrough fifteen minutes into the second half.

Jerin Jameson had the unenviable task of man-marking Luke Morrell, and he had done a terific job all evening. A player of Luke's caliber simply needs to find a bit of freedom once in a match in order to make you pay. He found that freedom in the 56th minute as he smashed home a centering pass from a teammate deep inside the Otsego penalty area. 1-0 down. The team spent zero time feeling sorry for themselves, and got back to business right away. They weathered a few more storms in the second half, and looked likely in the last 7 minutes of creating a chance that would draw them level. Dentler made 3 impossible saves in the first half, and 3 more in the second to keep his squad in the game, but it was not enough on the night. Otsego looked strong, stayed composed and tight, but were out-shot 15-4. Not a recipe for success against a team that only allowed 4 goals through 9 conference matches.

Though visibly disappointed, the team emerged more battle tested and ready for the playoffs. Knowing that they might get another shot at Plainwell in the District Semifinal, the guys were positive about the performance and hungry for another shot at the Trojans next week.

Dentler ended up with 14 saves on the night in a gutsy performance, and was defensive man of the match. The Dawgs travel to BC Central on Monday to begin the playoffs!