Bulldogs ready for midseason showdown at Grand Blanc — with broadcast link

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BRIGHTON — It seems a little hard to believe, with temperatures this week in the 80s, but Friday night marks the midpoint of the 2016 football regular season,

“The grass is long at the house and the honey-do list is growing bigger,” Brighton coach Brian Lemons joked. “But halfway through the season we’ve got the kids mentally checked in and physically checked in. There’s still time to get better before the end of the season, so we’re trying to do everything we can at practice.”

In the meantime, the Bulldogs (3-1 overall, 1-0 KLAA West) will take on Grand Blanc (4-0, 1-0), before what’s expected to be a large crowd at Grand Blanc High School. The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post beginning at 6:50 p.m.

The Bobcats are averaging 41.5 points per game with a high-powered offense led by quarterback Kevin Coriasso, receiver Blake Bogan and running back Andre Mason.

Click here for the KLAA West Division standings!

“You watch them on film, and you’re jealous of all the talent they have over there,” Lemons said. “They have big kids up front and a lot of skill position guys.  Their defense looks really physical, I think our offense has its work cut out for them.”

The Bulldogs offense has been a work in progress this season, but the Cameron Tullar-to-Rudy Ramirez connection has been effective this season. The two connected for 104 of Brighton’s 170 yards passing in last week’s game against Pinckney, the last 58 coming on a touchdown late in the game that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good in a 24-20 victory.

But Lemons hasn’t hesitated to switch Tullar for Will Jontz, and vice versa, and he said Wednesday he’ll do it again if need be on Friday.

“It’s not preplanned as far as how many series each guy is going to get,” he said. “It’s dictated by what we see from our opponents on defense. Whatever’s working the best we kind of roll with.”

As far as Jontz is concerned, it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is.

“Just move the ball,” he said. “We’ve had very few first downs (this season)(. We’d like to get first downs and pound the ball.”

That’s the best way for the Bulldogs to keep the ball out of the Bobcats’ hands on offense.

“They’re an athletic team,” Brighton linebacker Jack Aigner said. “They’ve got great skill  guys. As long as we go in and do our jobs, we’ll be all right. Coach (Dan) Gallimore is doing a great job on the D-line, so I think as long as we hold them up front, we’ll be all right.”

The winner will have a leg up in the division race, including holding an edge in tiebreakers when it comes to qualifying for the season-ending conference crossover against the North champion.

The Bulldogs have beaten Grand Blanc only twice in eight previous meetings. Brighton won last year’s meeting 35-12 and won 14-7 at Grand Blanc in the 2013 playoffs.

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