This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

(WITH PHOTO GALLERY) Hartland Football Loses 20-9 in Homecoming Game

Brighton's two goal-line stands prove pivotal in cold, windy rain-soaked game.

The Hartland football team's bid to upset division rival Brighton fell short in a 20-9 loss Friday on a blustery, cold and rainy homecoming night.

"Our kids came out and fought for four quarters," said head coach Marcus Dukes. "You can't fault the effort. … We've been close all year."

Despite slippery conditions, the Eagles high-powered spread offense scored on a 54-yard touchdown pass and was able to drive the ball deep into Brighton territory, but two goal-line stands by the Bulldogs and turnovers proved costly.

Find out what's happening in Hartlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"In an 11-point football game, that's 14 points that we left out there at the 1-yard line," Dukes said. "You have to be able to punch that in. Those are critical points and their defense did a good job getting a stop."

Hartland's defense also forced turnovers to keep the Eagles in the game and scored two points with a safety but was unable to prevent Brighton's vaunted running attack from scoring three touchdowns. Brighton senior running back Shane Dokey led the way, including several long runs and a 3-yard score to cap a 10-play drive with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter to give Brighton a commanding 11-point lead.

Find out what's happening in Hartlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Until that point, the game was close with plenty of momentum swings.

Bulldog senior running back Nick Savedes opened the scoring with a 1-yard run midway through the second quarter as both teams had struggled to find the end zone in the challenging weather conditions. The drive was keyed by a Dokey 51-yard run.

But Hartland countered with a score on its next possession with the long pass from junior quarterback Stephen Milarch to junior wide receiver Brandon Gigliotti.

As the spiral hung in the air against the wind, Gigliotti skied over a Brighton defender to grab the ball and race to the end zone.

"I trust my quarterback totally," said Gigliotti, who caught three on the night. "He knows I can go up and get it. … When that ball is in the air, you just put everything else aside."

But the Bulldogs retook the lead with senior Andrew White scoring on a 1-yard run with about 30 sections left in the half, putting Brighton back up 14-7. A 36-yard Dokey scamper helped set up that TD.

The Eagles almost answered moving the ball quickly downfield, but junior kicker Alec Bain was unable to connect on a 32-yard field goal attempt to end the first half.

Hartland nearly tied the game on its opening drive of the second half that took some six minutes, but Brighton's goal line defense forced a turnover on downs. Still, Hartland was able to edge closer after tackling Dokey in the end zone for a safety with 5:06 left in the third quarter. That's as close as the Eagles would get, however.

Gigliotti said the loss on homecoming night was especially disappointing but the team hopes to bounce back.

"We wanted to put on a good show for the fans," he said. "We tried our best, but came up short."

With a 2-4 record, Hartland can no longer earn an automatic playoff spot and must win its final three games to have a chance at the postseason. Next week, the Eagles travel to Grand Blanc, which is now tied with Brighton for lead in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division after losing 9-7 to Pinckney on Friday.

"We just got to play," Dukes said. "We can't look beyond that one and start thinking about whether we are in the playoff hunt. We got to look at playing Grand Blanc and only Grand Blanc."

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?