SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Brighton football reached the state championship game for the first time in program history, but its historic season ended with a 28-14 loss to the undefeated Rye Garnets.
Brighton comes up short in State ChampionshipThe day's major News events, business reports, sports updates, Rochester area weather information and tomorrow's forecast are presented by the News10NBC Team.“We’re a family here in Brighton,” said head coach Stephen Lian. “Our football family is a pretty tight one and one that, we love each other a lot, ,that’s what we do it for and anytime your time with a group of kids ends, it’s really hard. Whether it’s here or whether it’s somewhere back in Rochester. We’re just really thankful for the time that we’ve had with them and the trust their parents are putting in us to take care of them.”
The Bruins, who were the first team (alongside Monroe) from Section V to make it to the state championship since 2019, faced undefeated Rye, a team that won the Class B state title in 2023.
GAME RECAP
The first drive of the game ended with Rye’s Carson Miller scoring on a QB keeper, putting the Garnets ahead 6-0.
Brighton responded, picking up a 4th & 7 on their ensuing drive as Ethan Bialaszewski found Matt Heininger for an eight-yard gain before Justin Medina walked in to cap off the drive, taking a 7-6 lead.
Rye followed up their first drive with a pair of touchdown passes from Miller to Henry Shoemaker, giving the Garnets a 20-7 lead at halftime. The latter of those touchdown drives was aided by a short field as Brighton fumbled inside their own redzone.
After a scoreless third quarter, Miller and Shoemaker connected again in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory for Rye.
The Bruins played their semifinal game on Sunday, Nov. 30, two days after Rye played their respective final four game. Brighton’s game was moved because of the weather. Did playing on short rest matter? Hard to say, but the Bruins aren’t making excuses.
“One of our starters came in sick, and it was tough; he battled through it. Another one went out on the first series, a key player for us,” Lian said. “The short turnaround, it is what it is. I mean, experience is a big deal, right? We felt like we had learned a lot about experience coming up through, but we’ve never been to the finals, and all the logistics and all the paperwork, handling all that on a short week was hard. It was a challenge to also then game plan, but we were ready. We came in with a good game plan. You saw it, our kids were ready to fight, and we just ran up against a really great team.”
Brighton graduates 16 seniors including team captains Amari Snowden, Charlie Messina, and Matthew Heininger.
“I think when all the dust settles and [after] the hurt and the sting, I mean, they should be really proud of what they’ve done to to be a part of back to back sectional championships when, when we’ve never done it,” Lian said. “To get to the state semis last year and then go even further this year. No one’s ever accomplished what they’ve accomplished and they’ve set a standard, that hopefully all the younger kids that come up behind them want to accomplish, and it just can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for us.”
Brighton’s journey may have ended, but Monroe has a chance to bring a state championship to Section V. They will play Sleepy Hollow in the Class B final on Saturday at 3 p.m.
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