Plenty at stake as football regular season ends — with broadcast link

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Many years, the end of the regular season is a chance to reflect, to go through the familiar routine one more time before a season, and a team, pass into history.

But, for four teams, there’s plenty at stake tonight as the 2016 regular season comes to a close.

And for a fifth, a chance to end the season on a high note.

At Brighton, the Bulldogs play host to Walled Lake Western with the final Lakes Conference championship at stake.

It’s the first meeting between the teams since 1997, when Walled Lake Western won 29-28 in what was Drew Henson’s final high school game.

A crowd estimated at 10,000 attended that game, with fans standing three-deep around the field and filling the stands on both sides of the field.

Brighton coach Brian Lemons is expecting a similar atmosphere tonight in a game that will be broadcast on The Livingston Post starting at 6:50 p.m.

“A conference title, a playoff game, there’s a very similar atmosphere,” he said. “I’m expecting the best on Friday.”

To do that, the Bulldogs will have to shut down a high-powered Warriors attack that  features quarterback Johnny Tracy (a Princeton commit) and wide receiver Cody White (Michigan State), who filled in at quarterback for the first three games of the season when Tracy was injured.

On the offensive line, the Warriors feature 6-7, 315-pound Rob Hudson, who has committed to Purdue.

Lemons and the Bulldogs are looking forward to the  challenge.

“This is going to be a really nice competition,” Lemons said this week,. “Walled Lake Western is an opponent we haven’t seen all season long. They’re very balanced, highly skilled, well-coached. It’s going to be a tough matchup.”

The Bulldogs are coming off a 41-20 win over Howell last week, a win that saw Brighton shut down the Highlanders in the second half.

Part of the credit goes to Brighton’s quarterback tandem of Cameron Tullar and Will Jontz, who combined completed 11 of 16 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns. They earned high marks from their coach after last week’s game

I’m most proud of our quarterbacks, who who were so interchangeable tonight, without any kind of selfishness at all,” Lemons said “They were in and out without skipping a beat. It was nice to see.”

Luke Helwing rushed for 133 yards, and Lemons says his offense will have to play a key role tonight by staying on the field as long as possible.

A heavy dose of off-tackle (rushing plays) and see if we can control the clock,” Lemons said. “We’re not going to change anything we do. We’re just going to try to execute at a higher level this week.”

Howell, meanwhile, is looking to qualify for the playoffs tonight with a home game against Waterford Mott, which knocked off the Highlanders last year, 28-10.

“We’ve come back and had a great week of practice,” Howell coach Aaron Metz said. “Waterford Mott has some great athletes, and our kids remember (last year). We want to get it done and get into the playoffs with a 6-3 record and take our chances from there. That’s our goal.”

Pinckney and Fowlerville, both 6-2, also are home and looking to burnish their playoff resumes.

Pinckney takes on Walled Lake Northern, while Fowlerville hosts an old nemesis, Lansing Waverly. The Glads are 0-5 against Waverly all time, but are a favorite because Waverly is 2-6 this season.

Hartland, the only county team not in playoff contention, looks to wrap up its regular season on an up note. The Eagles play host to Walled Lake Central and are looking for their second win in a row.

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