It wasn’t just because Brady Helmer led the Fredonia Hillbillies to a victory as the starting quarterback. It was even more special because of who was on the other sideline — his father, Sean.

Brady Helmer guided the Hillbillies to a 40-14 win over his dad’s Black Knights of Silver Creek-Forestville at Silver Creek High School.

After Brady Helmer won the week prior as Fredonia’s starting quarterback, Sean Helmer began to let the reality of the football schedule sink in. “My assumption was he would probably start again. Then all the thoughts start going through your head,” Sean Helmer said.

Game planning against your son is an impossible spot for a father to be in. Sean Helmer felt the weight of that pressure throughout the week leading up to the contest.

Fredonia quarterback Brady Helmer (12) scrambles during a game against the Silver Creek-Forestville Black Knights, last Friday night, at Silver Creek High School. OBSERVER Photo by Ashleigh Brown.

“I know his strengths and weaknesses, but at the same time, you want your own son to have some success in life. It puts you in a real bind,” he said. “You have to just pretend he’s not your son when you’re preparing and coaching. … It’s really hard. As a dad, it’s a really weird spot.”

Sean Helmer said he and Brady usually talk about practice each week, but leading up to last week’s showdown, the only contact regarding the game was Sean’s text to his son Friday morning wishing him luck.

“The week was way more stressful,” said Sean Helmer. “Once you kick off, then it was easier to separate the two and just coach a football game.”

Finally, the game began.

Sean Helmer’s team came into Friday’s contest without a win on the season and riding an 11-game losing streak dating back to last September. But Friday night, you never would have known it early on.

The Helmer family celebrated Brady’s win over his father, Sean, last Friday in Silver Creek. Pictured from left is Brady’s mom, Michelle Helmer; Brady Helmer; Brady’s dad, Silver Creek head coach Sean Helmer; and Brady’s older brother, Jake Helmer. Submitted Photo.

The Black Knights, who managed just six touchdowns in six games prior to Friday, scored two touchdowns in the first half against Fredonia. The game’s first score came on a long 74-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Ingram, who has his own Fredonia ties as a standout wrestler on the shared program hosted by Fredonia each winter. Ingram was one of many players who had a connection to the opposition on Friday, as Sean Helmer knew many of the Fredonia players from Little League coaching days, in addition to the relationships he has built with his son’s close friends.

“It was weird because I know all those kids. … I’ve coached half of them in other things,” Sean Helmer said. “I thought it was kind of interesting the dynamics between all our kids. They know each other pretty well, so I thought it was fun. It was pretty cool to see.”

The two teams traded scores throughout the rest of the opening half, as a pair of Sam Atzrott touchdown runs for Fredonia bookended a quarterback sneak touchdown for Gavin DeLong of the Black Knights. Silver Creek-Forestville led Fredonia 14-12 at the half, and the family bragging rights were in the favor of Sean Helmer at the break.

“All our players handled it really well. None of them really talked about it with me. I think they just had a mature approach to it,” Sean Helmer said. “But at the same time, you have a lead at halftime against a pretty good football team. You want those kids to do well. You want your team to win, always.”

Despite an admirable challenge by the Black Knights in the first half of last Friday’s game, the second half was all Fredonia.

Aided by a pair of Atzrott touchdowns – giving the Fredonia senior four scores on the night – the Hillbillies rallied for their young quarterback in the battle for dinner table conversation supremacy in the Helmer household.

The Fredonia defense held the Black Knights scoreless for the entire second half, and once Fredonia extended its lead to 26-14 in the third quarter, the playbook opened up for the young signal caller in orange and white.

First, Brady Helmer connected with Kevin Brown for a 17-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to a three-score Fredonia advantage.

“Honestly then, I was just mad we gave up the touchdown,” Sean Helmer said, through laughter. “But a couple times in the game I did catch myself watching the throw to see the result. … I kept all the other stuff until after the game.”

Later, the younger Helmer delivered the knockout punch later in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown pass of the day, an 11-yard pass to Jameson Quinn, to conclude the scoring in the contest. Brady Helmer finished 6-for-10 for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

“We were in some man-to-man situations and they took advantage of that. He was able to make a couple good throws and scored off them,” Sean Helmer said.

After the game, Brady’s family gathered around him and his dad to celebrate the moment. Members of the family wore split-sided jerseys supporting both the Hillbillies and the Black Knights. Brady’s older brother, Jake, drove down from Buffalo to see the game, along with Brady’s grandparents and his mother, Michelle. As the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Silver Creek alongside her husband, Sean, the school’s Athletic Director Michelle Helmer faced the dilemma that Friday’s game presented from the opening kickoff until the final whistle.

“She’s a lot better now,” Sean Helmer joked. “Ultimately, she was rooting for her son. She’s seen me win and lose enough games over the years that it was more important to support her son.”

Friday’s victory was the second win of Brady Helmer’s tenure as starting quarterback at Fredonia, after defeating Chautauqua Lake-Westfield-Brocton 42-13 at the Orange Bowl the week prior. He also threw his first touchdown pass in the win over Chautauqua Lake-Westfield-Brocton a week prior. His first action at quarterback came a week before that, a 41-8 loss at Salamanca, where he completed his first pass — a 27-yard completion to Mike Hahn.

Although his older brother Jake never played against their dad, Friday was not even the first time Brady Helmer did. Brady played a handful of snaps in last season’s Fredonia victory when he was a sophomore.

But of all those prior memories, Friday in Silver Creek was every bit as memorable, if not more. Friday was the night that Brady stepped into the spotlight under center and beat his dad.

“I told him I loved him and I was proud of him after the game when we did our handshake line. We chatted a little bit afterwards when the family was there,” Sean Helmer said. “That part was nice. It stinks losing, but I was happy for him that he played well.”