By Thomas Sellers Jr.
It’s time for the Brighton Cardinals to make a push for the postseason.
Coming into Friday night’s game against the Region 8-5A showdown with the Kingsbury Falcons, Head Coach Mike David wanted his Cardinals to get off to a good start to set the tempo.
Just 13 seconds into the contest, a Nick Harvell handoff to Braxton Sharp resulted in a 60-yard touchdown run and an 8-0 lead over the Falcons.The Brighton offense and defense collaborated on a 46-12 victory over Kingsbury and secured the Cardinals’ first Region victory keeping Brighton in the playoff mix.
“It was really important to us that we played well and I think we did,” David said. “We made adjustments on both offense and defense. I thought we executed well tonight and I am very, very proud of our kids.
“Any time you can do that, that’s huge,” he added. “We have some great running backs here. We’re doing everything we can to get each one of them the ball with their strengths. I was really pleased with that tonight.”
Sharp was still the weapon of choice in the first quarter with his number called for a 42-yard TD run with 6 minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the opening period. Brighton led 14-0.The Cardinals (5-3, 1-2 Region 8-5A) took a 22-6 advantage into the second quarter after Nick Harvell scored on a quarterback keeper from 6 yards out.
The Falcons (2-5, 0-4) got on the scoreboard courtesy of a Tremayne Cross short touchdown run.The Cardinal defense held the Falcons scoreless in the second quarter. Meanwhile Harvell recorded his second TD of the night with another keeper. And then the Brighton defense got into the scoring act when Emmanuel Thurman picked off a pass and returned it 45 yards to the end zone to make the tally 38-6.
“Definitely a turning point for us defensively,” David said. “Our kids were aggressive and got after it. Coach Starnes is definitely a good defensive coordinator. He made some adjustments this week and the kids responded really well.”
Both teams scored once in the second half with Kingsbury connecting on a 44-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Brighton’s final touchdown of the night was in the third quarter when Tyler Todd made an elusive run through the Kingsbury defense for a 12-yard touchdown.
The win over the Falcons concluded the Cardinals’ home schedule for 2021. On Oct. 22 Brighton will travel to Dyer County and the regular season concluded for Brighton on Oct. 29 at Southwind.
