BY STEVE BRADLEY
BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The Brighton offense may not have played a perfect game of football on Saturday night, but it came pretty darn close to it.
The Bruins scored touchdowns on their first six possessions, including four in the first half while building a 28-0 lead, en route to a 48-14 victory over Sweet Home-VI in the Class A Far West Regional on Bob Boozer Field at SUNY Brockport’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium.
Junior tight end Matthew Heininger threw a 56-yard touchdown pass, caught a 51-yard score and ran for a 1-yard TD and Gavin Parks carried 21 times for 161 yards and a TD as the undefeated Bruins (12-0) earned the first state semifinal berth in the 90-year history of the program.
“Honestly, I think that we have a connection that a lot of other teams don’t, and I think that really clicked for us,” said Heininger, who also added 10 tackles and delivered the key block on Noah Wagner’s 100-yard interception return for a TD in the fourth quarter. “We knew what we had to do coming into the game, and we just executed really well.”
The Brighton offense executed so well that the only time it didn’t find the end zone all night was when the Bruins opted to take a knee to run out the clock in the final two minutes after driving deep into Sweet Home territory.
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“We have a pretty awesome offensive line that is coached by the best offensive line coach anywhere in Michael Weimer and we have the best running back in Section V,” Brighton coach Stephen Lian said. “When we’re clicking and when Gavin is running, it makes everybody feel pretty confident.”
After forcing a Sweet Home punt on the game’s opening drive, Brighton marched 59 yards in 12 plays. Grady Hopkin found Miller Burrows in the corner of the end zone on fourth-and-goal with 1:45 remaining in the first quarter. Hopkin kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead. Parks carried nine times for 53 yards in the series.
The Panthers responded by driving inside the Brighton 30, but the Bruins forced three straight incompletions and a turnover on downs. Heininger took a shotgun snap three plays later and lofted a 56-yard TD pass to Wesley Sturrup. Hopkin’s PAT made it 14-0 with 10:07 remaining in the half.
The Bruins’ defense registered another fourth-down stop with 6:53 left in the second quarter. Brighton struck again when sophomore Zachary Rossignol cut back for a 57-yard TD and 21-0 advantage with 5:56 left in the half.
Another turnover on downs gave the Bruins the ball at their own 37-yard line with just over two minutes left before intermission. Brighton overcame a holding penalty early in the drive and Hopkin found Heininger on a throwback pass and the junior tight end took it 51 yards to the house with 29 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
NYS Class A Far West Regional: Grady Hopkin rolls left then finds Matthew Heininger to his right. Heininger does the rest. 51 yards and another @Brighton_FB touchdown. @brightonbruins takes a 28-0 lead into halftime. pic.twitter.com/mZhvcKyUZE
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 24, 2024
NYS Class A Far West Regional: Clarence Bell IV takes the kickoff to start the third quarter and goes 69 yards to set up @Brighton_FB inside the Sweet Home 10. pic.twitter.com/bOuTwDD4k2
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 24, 2024
NYS Class A Far West Regional: @Brighton_FB needs one play from scrimmage to start the third-quarter scoring. Gavin Parks takes care of it. @brightonbruins 34-0. pic.twitter.com/LSp3DrPcDP
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 24, 2024
“Our challenge all year has been to let everybody know that they are the best defense in Section V, which they took care of, and now our next quest was to show everybody that they are the best defense in Western New York, and I think we showed that tonight,” Lian said.
Brighton started right where it left off in the third quarter. Clarence Bell returned the kickoff to the Sweet Home 11 and – after an offsides penalty – Parks took the first play from scrimmage into the end zone for a six-yard TD and 34-0 lead 19 seconds into the third quarter.
Sweet Home (10-2) returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but the play was nullified by a penalty for an illegal block. The Panthers recovered from the penalty and put together a solid drive that was capped by Rocco Panepinto’s 8-yard pass to Da’Mari Yancey with 6:56 remaining in the third quarter.
Heininger capped Brighton’s next possession with a 1-yard TD run on third down, making it 41-7.
“There’s nothing that he can’t do,” said Lian, who called Heininger the best linebacker in Section V. “If we need him to, he can kick extra points, he can punt, he can long snap, he can do a back flip at the end of the game. Whatever you want a player to do, that kid will do. He’s awesome.”
“That kid is cut from a different cloth,” added Parks. “He’s something else.”
The drive was significant for Parks, too, as he extended his school record and became the first running back in Brighton history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
“The only record I care about is 12-0,” said Parks, who has rushed for 25 touchdowns this season, and also moved into the top 10 in Section V history for career rushing yards.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior was effusive in his praise for his offensive line.
“Honestly, they just create so much for me that a lot of times I literally only have to break one tackle to get 20 yards,” Parks said. “It’s crazy, the sea is parted sometimes, it’s just nuts.”
As is the season Parks has put together, averaging more than 167 yards and 2 touchdowns per game on the ground.
“I try to catch him sometimes when I am running down pulling, but you just can’t,” Brighton left guard Charlie Messina said. “You just can’t catch him. It is beautiful to block for him. I am so glad that we got him 2,000 yards.”
Brighton’s defense came up big again as Wagner intercepted a pass at the goal line, spun away from a would-be tackler, picked up a monster block from Heininger at midfield and raced to the end zone for a 48-7 lead with just over 9:30 to play.
Of all the plays Heininger made on Saturday night, the block was his favorite.
“Definitely,” Heininger said. “The reason why is that I already had three touchdowns, and I knew what it felt like to score and have my teammates there for me and I just wanted to get Noah Wagner one. That was so special for me.”
Yancey took the ensuing kickoff back 80 yards for Sweet Home to close out the scoring.
Hopkin finished 3-for-5 passing for 62 yards and 2 TDs. Kaleb Matthews led the Brighton defense with 11 tackles and Luca DeSandis added 10. Titus Nebbia, AJ Rossignol and Zahmar Tookes all contributed sacks.
“I am just glad that we are still dancing,” said Parks, who plans to play lacrosse at Dartmouth after graduation. “I do not want to be done playing football forever, so that is just a motivator.”
Brighton will play Whitesboro-III in the state semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday at Vestal High School. Whitesboro defeated Horseheads-IV, 28-21, on Friday night.
The game brings about another first for the Brighton program – practice on Thanksgiving morning.
“Being able to have that practice Thanksgiving morning and then go celebrate that with your family, man, that’s awesome,” Lian said. “I can’t wait.”
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