On Oct. 16, 2025, the Brighton High School freshman football team set out on one of the most important games of the season against Howell High School. The two cross-town rivals often dedicate a significant part of their season to preparing for this game, and Brighton’s freshman football team did not disappoint. The past four years, the freshman team has lost to Howell, but they broke that streak this season. The Bulldogs pulled through 28-0. They completely shut down Howell, never letting one point slip by.
The scoreboard tells only a part of the story, and the energy Brighton brought tells the rest. Even when the winner looked obvious, Brighton’s freshman football team never let up.
“We were just super excited to play because the freshman team hasn’t beat Howell in four years,” freshman Cash Von Buskirk said.
The energy brought wasn’t just about winning but building a winning culture and setting a foundation for both Brighton’s JV and varsity football teams. Keeping the energy was the key to winning, and Brighton did just that. Keeping high energy kept high focus. No matter the score, offense or defense, the Bulldogs celebrated every pass, and every snap.
A team isn’t just its players. It’s the coaches and the crowd. The Bulldogs recognize that they weren’t the only ones cheering and that their sixth-man was the crowd. Freshman Ben Hansen shared that the constant cheering coming from off the field helped fuel the team, proving that even though having home field advantage is game changing, but having a crowd that dominates the atmosphere with their chants can overturns that advantage.
The Bulldogs consistently held the “next play” mentality, never letting up a single point. One of the most difficult things to do is to keep focus in a blowout game and not rule out the idea that the opposing team could always make a comeback.
“During halftime, our coaches said ‘this game isn’t over, it’s still zero zero,’” Von Buskirk said.
Even though the outcome seemed obvious, the coaches made sure their players kept a level head and came out in the second half even stronger.
“Our coaches really help in keeping the entire team locked in,” freshman Luke Johnson said.
The freshman football team’s 28-0 victory represented more than just part of their record. After falling short the past four years, JV and varsity not far behind, the freshman pulled through. The scoreboard only reflected the final score, but what wasn’t shown was the team’s relentless energy, fueled by both the crowd and the coaches. From now on, any Bulldog that steps onto the field will look back and remember Brighton’s freshman football legacy.
