BRIGHTON — After another systematic dismantling of an opponent in Friday’s 41-6 defeat of Novi, brighton defensive coordinator Brandon Krugh spoke of chemistry in preparing for next week’s showdown at Northville.
“They do a lot of stuff we have to be prepared for,” he said, “so we have to get back into the lab (Saturday) morning.”
The Bulldogs and Mustangs both won Friday after Northville edged Canton 25-19. Both are 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the KLAA West. Click here for the archived broadcast!
Novi couldn’t do much of anything gainst Brighton’s defense, getting its lone score midway through the fourth quarter against Brighton’s second string offense.
The Bulldogs defense forced Novi to go three-and out five times and Brighton kickers pinned the Wildcats at their 20 on six occasions.
All of that was music to the ears of Brighton quarterback Colin McKernan, who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns in his first start since sustaining a leg injury against Fordson in the season opener.
“Having a defense like that is a blessing,” he said.
So, too, was an offensive line that kept McKernan and backup Grant Hetherton upright most of the night, and the inside-outside punch of running back Carson Shrader, who scored a pair of 1-yard touchdowns, and a passing attack that saw the Wildcats give plenty of attention to Ashton Tomassi, only to be shredded by, among others, Jack Gregorich (three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown) and Mason Millhouse (2-96, 1 TD).
“Our motto is foot on the throat,” McKernan said. “We kept our foot o the gas the entire time. We’re going to do this every week. Our work ethic in this locker room is better than every team in the state. I would bet money on that. There’s not a team in the state that has more heart than this locker room does.”
Brighton struggled at first to take advantage of superior field position.
The Bulldogs settled for a 34-yard field goal by Braeden Chiles on their first possession, and saw their second one end on a missed field goal try. Their third possession saw it fizzle at the Novi 25.
The offense got going in the second quarter with a pair of touchdowns, the first a 29-yard pass from McKernan to Mason Millhouse and the second coming on the first of Shrader’s touchdowns,
After taking a 17-0 lead into halftime, Brighton got the ball to start the second half on their own 45. Two plays later, Gregorich caught a pass in the flats and streaked 44 yards in front of the Brighton bench for the score that effectively put the game out of reach.
“We knew, the offense was so close in the first half,’ Krugh said. “There were a couple of short fields where we didn’t punch it in, and we knew that if we could get it in to start the second half, get that three-and out with a takeaway there that we were going to be in a good spot.”
Shrader ran for his second score and Chiles kicked another 34-yard field goal to wrap up the third quarter scoring.
After Novi’s Lance Gailliard scored midway through the fourth quarter, Nate Stark scored Brighton’s final touchdown of the game, which ended with a running clock.
“I think our kids have done an outstanding job this year of taking in the scheme during the week, understanding where they have to be, and frankly, when they get there, getting hats to the ball and taking them to the ground,” Krugh said of his defense. “The kids worked hard in the offseason to put themselves in this position and it’s showing now.”
