With the night sky and the glistening moon watching over Cardinal Stadium on Friday Oct. 3, the Cards sang an old, familiar tune that had been tucked away for two years. 

That song was the SHS fight song. 

Following the final whistle, players and coaches surrounded the cheerleaders to sing the iconic lyrics of the school fight song. But this time, it was different. Minus the delivery being rushed and mumbled, it held a deeper meaning for head coach Sean Little. 

“I told them at the beginning of the year, ‘we don’t sing until we win,’” Little said. “I haven’t sang that song in 20 years since I was a student here and so I went over there and sang it with them, and it was fun.”

From the coin flip to the clock hitting zero, the Cards were the most dominant they’ve been all season. Hammering the Terre Haute North Patriots 36-0, this marked the first win for Little in a Cards’ headset.

“I’m happy for the kids,” Little said. “I’m happy for these seniors on senior night. To come out here and get not just a win but a dominant win.” 

Both teams were slow to start. But with several dropped balls and penalties assembled by the Patriots, the Cards gained an edge that would push them in the right direction for the night.

Four minutes into the game, the script would flip. 

Junior running back Braiden Brummett took the game in his hands. After picking up the hand off from senior quarterback Mannie Brandon, Brummett took off and didn’t look back. He ran for an electric 65-yard touchdown to jump start the night.

“I had an amazing first drive …,” Brummett said. “(In the) first quarter, (I) had that long touchdown that really fired up the stadium.”

This touchdown ignited a night of dominance for the Cards, setting them up for success on both sides of the ball.

The Cards maintained control of the game, but this time, on the defensive end. Terre Haute recovered the kickoff, but ultimately fumbled it, putting them almost a whole field’s length away from their end zone. 

With forced pressure on the Patriots offense, the Cards’ defense held down the nest. Their efforts would be rewarded after senior defensive back Dominic Martinez tackled the quarterback in the Cards’ own end zone, which gave the defense their first safety of the season and two points tacked onto the scoreboard. 

“You know offense is the exciting part, but defense tonight really brought the juice. (They) really ignited our team,” Little said. “(Whether it was) getting a stop (or) making big plays, and I think the offense, the special teams (and) everybody fed off that.” 

That’s not to exclude the offense. They spanned a total of 422 yards with the help of Brandon, who totaled 50 yards both passing and rushing.

With the first quarter coming to a close, the Cards had all momentum with a lead 9-0.

That intensity didn’t even think about leaving. Not even two minutes into the second quarter, senior JD Stanovich scored the second touchdown of the night, he ended the game with three carries for 56 yards.

Everything looked promising until the clock stopped at 10:28. 

Emotions filled the air and tension was rising. Across the field, on the Patriots sideline, a massive storm of players crowded the field. 

An altercation between junior receiver Tynell Tyler and a Terre Haute North player and coach occurred. Tyler was not ejected, but both the Patriots’ player and coach were removed from the game. 

“We had a little fight break out on the sidelines,” Tyler said. “(Little) He (told) me to stay in my head (and) don’t do anything stupid that (would) get me thrown out. He’s a good leader (and) a good coach. (He’s) just making sure I do everything right.”

But, the Cards weren’t phased. After a long waiting period of sorting out the scuffle, the Cards took the turf once again. 

The Patriots regained possession, but they couldn’t hold on for long. After a tipped pass, freshman Xavier Hoffman secured the ball, intercepting the tipped pass which gave the Cards once again another opportunity to score. 

And that is exactly what Brummett did. He racked up his second touchdown of the night, running for 35 yards, having a total of 218 yards on 17 carries.

“Braiden and I had a great talk earlier in the week, and I told him ‘Hey listen you got the start you’re gonna get all the burn tonight so get after it,’” Little said. “And he took it to heart and he said ‘I’m better than what I’ve been doing,’ and (then) he went down hill and got his yards.” 

Now, Brummett wasn’t the only piece to the puzzle. After his touchdown, the points didn’t stop. 

After another unsuccessful drive by the Patriots, they resorted to punting the ball back to the Cards’ offense. The ball ended up in Tyler’s hands and without hesitation, he ran for a 35-yard punt return straight beside the Cards’ sideline right into the end zone. 

“It was amazing, getting tackles and stuff,” Tyler said. “Especially when I got that first touchdown. Blood was running through my veins (and) I was going crazy.”

Following the touchdown, the defense forced another turnover. 

The offense then finished the job as Brandon completed a pass to junior receiver Liam Wilson, who also heavily contributed to the win, having 4 catches and running 46 yards. This touchdown upped the score 36-0, ultimately capping off the night.

Now, with the running clock in play, the only thing the Cards had to do was hold the lead. Everything was falling perfectly in line for the Cards until one hit turned everything upside down. 

Unfortunately for Stanovich, he suffered a big hit after colliding with a Patriots player. This led to  Stanovich being escorted off the field in a utility vehicle alongside multiple trainers. 

Although the status of Stanovich’s injury is uncertain, athletic trainers Raya Booth and Felicia Cooper hope for a stable recovery in time for track season because Stanovich runs during the spring. 

“He’s obviously an integral part of what we do on offense and defense,” Little said. “But (I’m) proud of his effort, and proud of the way he was laughing, and smiling and talking to us. (So) proud of that because it is a hard thing to deal with.” 

Even though Stanovich left the game with an injury, the Cards kept their composure and finished the half strong. 

While the Cards didn’t add any points to the scoreboard, their effort and energy remained high. With all the pieces falling in place, it hinted they’d get their first win in the record book.

This win alone snaps a 16-game losing streak across the course of three seasons with the last win being against Arsenal Tech on Oct. 27, 2023.

“These guys have gone through a lot over the last four years in the program,” Little said.  It’s good as a head coach to see the things you’ve been preaching come to fruition.” 

Amid the smiles and celebrations, Little says this win will help strengthen their confidence and build trust between the staff and players. With this in mind, Little hopes to build on the momentum nearing the end of the seasonal slump that began. 

“Going into the next couple weeks, we face some good opponents,” Little said. “Terre Haute South next week is a pretty good team so we got to come out and be ready to go.”