LITCHFIELD — Four seasons into Michael Langhann’s tenure, the Litchfield football program has already taken significant steps forward. Now the Terriers want the next one.
Litchfield enters the 2026 season looking to turn a strong finish last fall and a returning group of accomplished players into the program’s first postseason berth under Langhann. The Terriers went 4-5 in 2025 but won three of their final four games, a stretch that included the program’s first victory over Battle Creek St. Philip.
It was another glimpse of the potential Litchfield has shown during Langhann’s tenure. The Terriers went 6-2 in his first season in 2022 before records of 4-5, 3-6 and 4-5 over the next three years. Injuries and the challenges that come with limited numbers in 8-player football have made maintaining that success difficult.
Still, Litchfield has won more games in Langhann’s first four seasons than it did over the previous 12 seasons combined.
“Something great about this team is our culture, and all our guys, even though we always butt heads, we have one purpose — it’s to win football games,” Langhann said. “We’ve got a great culture, and we’ve got a great group of guys, and they’re doing really well at the start of the season, so we’re really excited.”
Key returners
Returning experience and all-region athletes fuel that optimism.
Junior Gavin Gutting returns after earning Michigan High School Football Coaches Association all-region honors at defensive back and wide receiver. Gutting was also the Daily News Dream Team Defensive MVP and honorable mention Offensive MVP after totaling 715 receiving yards, eight touchdowns, 60 tackles and eight interceptions in 2025.
Senior captains Caleb Watson and Brayden Bradley give the Terriers two more returning all-region players.
Watson earned all-region honors on the offensive line and will again be asked to contribute across the field, including at linebacker, defensive line and fullback. Bradley earned all-region honors at linebacker after recording 61 1/2 tackles and filled multiple roles last season, including taking quarterback snaps after injuries altered Litchfield’s original plans.
Langhann believes that veteran group can make defense the Terriers’ identity.
“I think our defense is gonna be the focal point of our football team,” Langhann said. “And if we had to hang our hat on anything right now, it’s those senior linebackers, Caleb Watson, Brayden Bradley, to really look out for.”
The experience gained by younger Terriers during an injury-filled 2025 season could be just as important.
Watson saw teammates forced into bigger roles earlier than expected last fall. A year later, he believes those players are ready to become established contributors.
“I think a lot of the injuries gave young guys an opportunity to step up and show the potential they really have and how much they actually want it,” Watson said. “I think this year, those young guys, they got to step up, and they’re going to get better. And they’re not going to be really considered young guys anymore.”
One of the biggest returning pieces is sophomore quarterback Caleb Bills, the younger brother of former Litchfield quarterback Tyler Bills.
Bills missed time with an injury in 2025, forcing Bradley and sophomore Connor Kerr to split snaps. Kerr ultimately emerged as the Terriers’ primary quarterback during the final weeks of the season and returns as one of Litchfield’s primary receiving and defensive options.
With Bills healthy, Langhann expects the sophomore to take control of an offense that should again have weapons in the passing game.
“He’s a natural quarterback, he’s a natural leader,” Langhann said. “He’s a general of our offense. … Caleb’s gonna run the show and he’s gonna distribute the football the way he needs to, similar to a point guard on the football field.”
Senior Dom Carter is another player Langhann expects to play an important role, particularly along a defensive front replacing 2026 graduate and all-region lineman Ben Baker.
Challenges and hurdles
The biggest hurdle Litchfield’s program will face, and continue to face, is keeping that core on the field.
For a team expecting several starters to play extensively on both sides of the ball, staying healthy and preparing younger players for meaningful snaps will be critical.
“I think some hurdles we’re going to have to go over is depth,” Watson said. “(We) definitely have to stay healthy all season.”
Langhann calls it developing a “next guy mentality.” He has lost his starting quarterback during two of his first four seasons and said that experience has reinforced the need to prepare multiple players at key positions instead of waiting for an injury to force an adjustment.
Week 1 and beyond
The Terriers will receive an immediate test far outside their normal footprint.
Litchfield was originally scheduled to host Athens in Week 1 before Athens canceled its season. The Terriers instead found a replacement in Plymouth, Ohio, which recently moved from 11-player to 8-player football because of its own numbers. Litchfield will make the nearly three-hour trip for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday, Aug. 28.
Langhann believes that despite the travel distance, the Terriers enter the matchup with similar advantages as their Ohio opponent.
“Even if there’s a fork in the road, you’ve got to make that decision and do the best that you can with it,” Langhann said. “Don’t make excuses why, just keep moving forward. We might have been blindsided, but they’re blindsided by us, too, so it’s fair.”
Looking ahead, the Terriers have a unique situation with two Thursday night home games in a row, starting with Waldron on Sept. 3 for Parents Night and St. Philip on Sept. 10 for Military Appreciation Night. A road trip to Pittsford on Oct. 9 also looms as an important conference matchup.
Langhann and the Terriers know that defending back-to-back division champion Pittsford and runner-up Waldron are the two teams that stand in the way of Litchfield and a potential playoff berth.
“Pittsford’s always at the top of the pecking order, and it’s always going to be a team to beat,” Langhann said.
Watson believes the team is ready for the challenges of competing for the division crown, despite the challenges that remain with a full nine weeks of football ahead.
“Every game isn’t guaranteed, so I want to play my heart out like it’s my last guaranteed game,” Watson said.
His goal is to help push Litchfield into the postseason and leave the program’s younger players with something they can carry forward.
“I hope we go to playoffs and give these young guys a taste of what playoff football is like because we haven’t seen it in a while,” Watson said. “I hope to leave them something. I want to leave them with the hard work and determination to not give up.”
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Litchfield returns key all-region athletes to fuel optimistic 2026
Reporting by Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News | USA TODAY Network
