Southern Door playing 4 Brett

At first glance, the Southern Door football team’s roster looks like any other you would see in a high school game’s program.

It includes the names, numbers and positions for all of the Eagles’ players.

But upon further review, you can’t help but notice one individual is listed without his height and weight.

The impact that No. 4 has made for Southern Door can’t be measured by statistics.

However, Brett Buhr has unquestionably played a big part in the team’s success.

“Brett would have been a senior this year,” said Southern Door football coach Pat McCarty of Buhr, who died in 2013. “He’s always been on my roster. We’ve always kept him on our program and talk about him.”

The Southern Door players have t-shirts with Buhr’s name and No. 4 emblazoned on the back. Although he was a receiver and defensive back, Buhr wore No. 4 in youth and middle school football because his favorite player was Brett Favre.

The Eagles also have camouflage bracelets with the words “BRETT 4EVER” imprinted on them to honor Buhr, who was an avid hunter.

His memory is fueling the team as it attempts to track down a third straight conference title this year.

“We all have the mindset that he’s with us out there,” Southern Door junior Derik LeCaptain said. “He was just an awesome friend. He was fun to be around. I just think he left an impact on me because we were so close. We all wish he could be out there playing with us every single game. We just do the best we can by playing as hard as we can for him.”

McCarty made sure to place Buhr on the team’s roster in his first season as the varsity head coach in 2014 and ordered a No. 4 jersey to hang in the locker room when the team got new uniforms in his second year, which saw the Eagles win their first conference title since 2000.

McCarty’s son, Nick, is one of 12 seniors on the team this year. Prior to taking over the varsity program, McCarty had the opportunity to coach Buhr at the youth level.

“It’s a tight-knit group,” McCarty said. “All those kids were close with Brett.”

The Eagles have found themselves in their fair share of close games this season. Their first four games were decided by a combined 11 points.

During a 28-27 victory at Kewaunee on Sept. 8, McCarty called a timeout prior to the Storm’s two-point conversion attempt in the final minute. The conversation in the huddle had little to do with the X’s and O’s of how to defense the upcoming play, though.

The focus of the talk was on Buhr.

“I remember the guys were choked up,” McCarty said. “They told me, ‘We got this. We feel like Brett is with us right now.’”

LeCaptain came up with an interception on the play and sealed the game to extend the team’s conference winning streak, which has since grown to 16 games with a win over Algoma last week.

“We’re playing this season for him,” LeCaptain said of Buhr. “We’re playing hard every game for him, and we wish he could be out there with us.”

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