BRIGHTON — OK, so it wasn’t perfect.
Brighton missed an extra point, lost a couple of fumbles, and, well, that was about it.
The Bulldogs smothered Salem from the outset, taking a 30-0 lead in the first quarter and rolling to a 43-6 blowout in the KLAA West opener for both teams. Click here for a link to the archived broadcast.
Brighton (2-0 overall, 1-0 KLAA West) spent the entire first quarter on the Salem side of the field, scoring on all six of its first-half possessions and adding a safety to boot.
“That first quarter was pretty on point,” Brighton coach Brian Lemons said. “I would have loved to see our second group and third group do as well. …
“It was awesome getting all of our guys on the field so we could see them in a real game,” he added. “A couple spots got sloppy, but I think our guys got some good reps, stuff we can coach them on film with.”
With Hartland coming up next week, the waves of reserves also gave the Bulldogs a chance to rest starters who likely will see more action next week.
Among the spectators was running back Carson Shrader, whose night was done after scoring for times in the first quarter, three of them rushing.
One player who saw extensive action was quarterback Grant Hetherton, who started and played throughout.
It was Hetherton’s first extended stint running the offense. It came after he took over the starting job, at least temporarily, after Colin McKernan was injured in last week’s opening win over Dearborn Fordson. Hetherton threw for a score and ran for another. Carter Gregg finished up the scoring for Brighton.
Salem (0-2, 0-1) scored in the final minute of the first half. The second half was played with a running clock
Next week’s game starts the slate of Friday games, allowing an extra day off for the holiday weekend
“We’re going to spend our normal day off and then get the bonus day,” Lemons said, referring to Saturday. “It will be a good time to get home and hang out with the fam, maybe get an extra day at the pool, or the beach, whatever it is you do, but we’re going to come in on Sunday and get ready. “
