high school sports

pittsford Wildcats Extend Winning Streak to five, Maintain Championship Focus

Pittsford,​ MI – ‌October 4, 2025 – The Pittsford Wildcats secured their fifth consecutive victory Friday night, defeating Concord in a hard-fought contest and positioning themselves for ⁣a potential repeat league title and a third straight playoff berth. However, despite the mounting success and looming playoff picture, the team⁣ remains firmly focused on the present,⁤ emphasizing a “one game at a time” approach.

The Wildcats’ defense proved pivotal in the win, mirroring a “bend-don’t-break” style, according to⁢ Head Coach Brian Burger. “It’s a little bit like⁣ collegiate football,” Burger said. “You ‍play that bend-don’t-break style ⁢defense, you’re patient, you don’t give up big plays, and I thought ​we did that tonight.”

A‍ late-game turnover sealed the victory. Ethan Pickford tipped a ⁣pass, which was then intercepted by Mondale Kneffler and returned 33 yards, effectively ending a promising drive by Concord. “We made some timely plays and tackled fairly well in ⁢space,” Burger added.

Pickford led the defensive⁣ effort with‌ seven tackles, adding to his contributions on offence. ⁤Drawe contributed seven tackles and ‌two assists⁤ from his linebacker ⁣position. Wickard and henry Cornett each recorded a sack,while Kneffler added⁣ six tackles in the secondary and Nave had five.

Looking ahead, Pittsford ⁢can clinch back-to-back league titles and potentially a third consecutive playoff appearance with wins in their next two games: on the road at Camden-Frontier and at home against Waldron (5-1). A final regular season win against 5-1 Climax-Scotts could⁣ further solidify their playoff position and potentially secure ⁣home-field advantage.

However, Coach Burger is prioritizing the ⁢immediate task​ at hand. “Yeah, you know, we don’t really think about it that way,”​ Burger said, following the victory. “We’re just happy and thankful that⁢ we were able to⁢ get a win tonight over a high-quality team. Coach (Max) Clark does ⁤a great job. I thought their quarterback was great, and their running back ran the ball hard. They’re a talented team,so it’s a good win for us and I’m proud of our guys.”

The team’s​ philosophy centers on enjoying each victory‍ before turning attention to the‌ next challenge. “We’re going to enjoy this victory tonight and then tomorrow ‍we’ll get ‌back to work and we’ll start thinking about the next game,” Burger explained. “That’s where our mindset is ⁢at. We’re not thinking ⁢about anything far out. We’re just right ⁣here in the here-and-now.”

Linebacker Drawe echoed this sentiment, stating, “We just have to keep building off what we’ve done and play our game.”

With a dominant performance⁤ on ‍both lines and their most challenging matchups still ahead, Pittsford⁣ appears poised ​for a deep postseason run. ‍But for now, the focus‍ remains on the next opponent: Camden-Frontier, ⁢whom they will visit on October 10 at 7 p.m. The two programs have a long-standing rivalry, having⁢ played over 60⁢ games ⁤throughout their history.