In this day and age, young athletes (in college and in high school) quite often move on to what they perceive as greener pastures.
That’s not Pierce Meacham’s style.
Despite having multiple head coaches and enduring some difficult seasons, Meacham stuck with Brighton for four years and he got the payoff last Thursday. In front of family, coaches, teammates and friends, the Cardinal tailback signed a scholarship with Cumberland University.
“It’s a rare thing,” said Brighton head coach Keith Setler. “Unfortunately, with this generation, it’s easy to, I’m not going to use the word quit, but rather than fighting through adversity and sticking with your teammates and things of that nature, some people move on. He’s a great young man with character. That’s what you look for and ask for. I’m proud of him.”
“Having multiple head coaches, I tried not to look at it from a bad point of view, but instead from a learning point of view,” Meacham said. “They were all going to teach me something different and he teachers here at Brighton were very helpful with everything.”
Meacham was Brighton’s go-to guy in the running game the last two seasons. He’s rarely the fastest player on the field, but his grit and leadership helped the Cardinals make the playoffs in 2024 for the firs time since 2021.
“You know what, he just works hard,” Setler said. “He always falls forward and keeps his legs moving. More importantly, in the huddle he’s the one who keeps everybody poised. If we get rattled, he’s the first one to say, ‘Hey, next play. Let’s go.’”
When asked about Meacham, his head coach said he was one of the most talented players on the team. However, he kept coming back to maturity and leadership.
“Having Meach around has just been amazing. I think I’ve said it before, I’ve been blessed with some leaders and hard workers and he’s right up there with all of them. He had some really good games for us last year. He’s been a great kid since he came in this building.”
By all accounts, Meacham is a thinker and he admitted he was concerned about his future as fall turned into spring and he didn’t have a landing spot.
When asked if the recruitment process was stressful, fun or confusing, Meacham said: “All of the above. It was very stressful because I didn’t think I was going to get any offers, to be honest with you. I ended up getting this one and this is where I want to go.”
Meacham was a big part of the Brighton Middle School football team, which has achieved unprecedented success. When he was in middle school, his intention was to play in college.
“That was the goal,” Meacham said, “and we’re almost to the end.”
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