PITTSFORD — Since becoming an 8-player program, Pittsford football has built a standard around winning the SCAA-B and playing meaningful football in late October. The Wildcats enter the 2026 season as back-to-back league champions after going 7-3 overall and unbeaten in SCAA-B play last fall. They are chasing a third straight conference title and a fourth consecutive MHSAA playoff appearance.
Doing it again will require longtime coach Mike Burger, entering his 15th season as Pittsford’s head coach, to replace one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in program history and a veteran group in the trenches.
Jacob Drawe graduated after earning all-state honors at quarterback in each of his final two seasons and setting multiple school 8-player records. Pittsford also lost Zach Schutte, Nathan Wickard and Dylan Jenkins from an experienced offensive line and defensive front. All three were all-area dream team selections.
The Wildcats still return a proven senior core on both sides of the ball.
Peiffer takes over at quarterback
Senior Hunter Peiffer gets the first opportunity to replace Drawe.
Peiffer waited behind Drawe while becoming one of Pittsford’s most productive defensive players. He was the runner-up for Hillsdale Daily News defensive MVP honors last season and earned all-area dream team and all-league recognition at linebacker.
He also rushed for 358 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries, giving Pittsford an experienced runner at quarterback even as he takes over the passing responsibilities for the first time. Pittsford looks to its signal caller to have dual threat capabilities and be a team leader, things Peiffer has already proven in his career.
“He’s tough and explosive,” Burger said. “He was a great defensive player and running back last year. He’s got a good arm. He’s a good leader. He’s vocal. He’s all the things that you want quarterbacks to be.”
Peiffer spent the summer working in the weight room and throwing as he prepared for the job.
“I was one of the leaders,” Peiffer said of last year and entering this offseason. “And so, I kind of just stepped it up a little more.”
Playmakers give Wildcats experience
Senior running back Ethan Pickford returns after rushing for 679 yards and 13 touchdowns on 67 carries, averaging 10.1 yards per attempt. He also caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown and finished with 81 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, two sacks and two interceptions at linebacker.
With Drawe and his 1,236 rushing yards graduated, Pickford has a chance to become one of the top rushers in the SCAA-B.
“We’ve been in the weight room all summer working really hard,” Pickford said. “We’ve been working on our speed and agility, a lot of drills containing those things, and I think we’ve just been giving it 100-percent effort every day.”
Peiffer will also have Pittsford’s top two receivers from 2025.
Senior tight end Aiden Jones led the Wildcats with 370 receiving yards and caught five touchdowns on 17 receptions. Senior wide receiver and defensive back Brendan Nave finished with a team-high 26 catches for 368 yards and seven touchdowns.
Nave also led Pittsford with six interceptions.
Jones has worked to become a bigger two-way contributor after playing primarily offense last season. He said the roster may be smaller, but the Wildcats have become a close group.
“We’re all just really close and working together,” Jones said. “We all come and strive every day, work our hardest, work hard in the weight room, really lift hard. So, it’s all about effort.”
If there’s one position in the County that stands out amongst the region at both the 8-player level and 11-player, its defensive back.
Nave is a part of that group of returning corners who will look to headline the ball hawks of the 8-player divisions. Nave has put more emphasis on his defensive work after admitting he entered last season more interested in playing receiver than defensive back.
He said his technique and confidence at cornerback have improved while he has helped his teammates put in the work that comes with their championship expectations.
“Coach Burger always says, ‘It takes what it takes,'” Nave said. “If you’re not putting in the work and doing what you need to do, then you’re not going to get what you want in the end.”
New-look line
Pittsford’s biggest uncertainty is up front.
The Wildcats must replace most of the veteran line that helped power an offense that rushed for 2,329 yards last season. Senior Wyatt Bressette, a rotational lineman in 2025, becomes one of the group’s most experienced players on both offense and defense.
Bressette said he learned from the older group and has taken a larger role helping younger linemen learn the offense.
“We need to be gritty,” Bressette said.
That physicality is also a priority for Burger, who said Pittsford will need to tackle well in space, protect the football and execute late in games.
Senior Henry Cornett gives the defensive front another experienced returner after recording 33 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks last season. Junior Ethan Curtis and freshman Gavin Leggett are among the other players Pittsford will look to for larger roles.
Burger said the known returners give Pittsford a foundation, but the Wildcats’ ceiling will depend on how quickly the younger and less experienced players develop.
“What really is going to be important is the guys that I didn’t name. They’re the ones that got to come along. Those are the guys that are really important.”
Burger said the formula remains rooted in execution and physical football. The Wildcats must tackle in space, take care of the ball and be able to execute in the fourth quarter if they want to be playing important games in October.
“Ultimately what football to me is about is physicality, enforcing your will on another person, your opponent,” Burger said. “I think usually the most physical teams, they’re the teams that win.”
Week 1
Pittsford will not have to wait long to see where its retooled roster stands. The Wildcats open the season Thursday, Aug. 27, on the road against Britton Deerfield, the team responsible for two of Pittsford’s three losses last season.
Britton Deerfield beat Pittsford 60-22 in the 2025 opener and ended the Wildcats’ season with a 50-16 win in the regional semifinal.
“We need to be way more intense, we need to be as aggressive as we possibly can,” Pickford said of the upcoming matchup.
Peiffer believes Pittsford will have to sharpen its defense and be fully prepared throughout the week.
“We’re going to have to work hard in practice, watch a lot of film, you know, just be locked in all week,” Peiffer said.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. It’ll be the first game of the 2026 Hillsdale County football season.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Peiffer, Pickford, Nave and Jones headline Pittsford football in 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
