Bulldogs meet Novi in key KLAA clash — with broadcast link

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BRIGHTON — Yes, this year’s Brighton football team is young, with a half-dozen sophomores dotting the two-deeps.

But the Bulldogs aren’t interested in using that as a crutch.

“The excuse of being a young team doesn’t apply to us any more,” declared quarterback Colin McKernan, a junior in his first season as the starter. “We have three games under our belt. That’s all you really need to be an experienced team.”

Brighton coach Brian Lemons is a little more flexible.

“I told people from the get-go, ‘Judge us in week 7, not week 1,” he said. “We’re going to be a different team. We’re on that trend, but we want to see some things right now.”

And now is as good a time as any for the Bulldogs, who play an important KLAA West game at Novi tonight. The game will be broadcast on The Livingston Post, starting at 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link.

Brighton (2-1 overall, 2-0 KLAA West), is coming off a 7-6 win at home against Hartland last week, a game which featured stellar defense on both sides. The Bulldogs are tied with Howell for first place in the division. The Highlanders are at Plymouth tonight.

Brighton’s touchdown came on a 75-yard touchdown pass out of a punt formation, and they won when Hartland scored but missed the extra point late in the fourth quarter.

“We have to finish drives (on offense),” Lemons said. “We need more consistency from play to play, and hopefully that growth will start to show.”

The Bulldogs suffered a close loss in the season opener at home against Dearborn before rolling past Salem in their KLAA West opener.

Novi (2-1, 1-1), lost to Hartland two weeks ago before beating Salem last week.

“Their quarterback (Luke Aurilia) can really hurt you with his feet, and up front, they’ve got some legitimate prospects up there,” Lemons said. “Novi’s going to test us. They do a good job on the ground and they throw the ball on offense. Defensively, they’re physical up front and have good linebackers. It’s going to be a typical KLAA matchup. You’re going to have a thin margin of error, and that team that manages that will probably win.”

McKernan says his team has to be more aggressive this week.

“We need to be more physical, we need to be more aggressive, assertive, that kind of thing,” he said. “Our execution has to go up, and from what I’ve seen in practice this week, it definitely has. We need to be all-around better, and I think that’s where we’re at.”

Brighton’s defense has allowed the fewest points this season so far in KLAA play.

“Our defense has been outstanding,” McKernan said. “It really saved us last game, but it’s time for us to pull our own weight. We’re really motivated to score some points this week.”

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