Brighton coach Brian Lemons says the Bulldogs games against Hartland (2-1) are absolutely rivalry games.
This is two nearby communities slugging it out once a year. It is often brother against brother. Neighbors against neighbors.
Hartland coach Aaron Metz disagrees. Hartland (2-1) has lost 10 games in a row to Brighton, and he believes his team must win more to turn this back into a rivalry.
Let me break the tie.
Teams may beat Hartland, but they often walk away with a black eye or broken tooth. Brighton may beat the Eagles again in Friday’s contest at Hartland. But the Bulldogs will feel it afterwards. The Eagles hit hard. They play hard and they care about winning every game – especially against Livingston County rivals Brighton and Howell.
These are rivals.
“Our kids are not in a happy place,” Lemons said.
Brighton fell behind by 21 points to Northville, made a terrific comeback, but still lost 35-34.
Now Hartland must pay.
On the other hand, the 10-game losing streak to the Bulldogs does not sit well in the Eagles dressing room. Now Brighton must pay.
A side note. Both offenses are humming. This could turn into an old fashion beat down between Brighton running back Dom Nauss and Hartland’s Nic Honeycutt. Both are tough. Both are fast and both are very productive.
Brighton is averaging 47.1 points a game. After a 28-0 opening-season loss to Oxford Hartland has reeled off 112 consecutive points and is averaging 54 points a game.
Hartland players and coaches had a series of heart-to-heart meetings to get the program back on track.
“Who is on the bus,” Metz said. “And what direction do we want to go in.”