The Butte Central froshmore football team ran its record to 4-0 with a 55-8 drubbing of the Stevensville Yellowjackets Monday evening at Torger Oaas Maroon Field. After playing a close first quarter Butte Central turned an 8-7 deficit after one into a 41-8 halftime lead and quickly scored in the third quarter to put the mercy rule on and get everyone home in time for Monday Night Football.
Kamen Richards opened the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown run. It was the second of back to back big plays as Dalton Sessions picked off a third-down pass to end a Yellowjacket possession. Stevensville came right back with their lone touchdown drive of the night.
Central appeared to be poised to force a punt when a third-and-10-run play turned into a 58-yard Yellowjacket touchdown. Stevi connected on the 2-point conversion pass and led 8-7. The ensuing kickoff appeared to be shanked and Central had the ball at midfield. The Maroons quickly had a first and goal but Stevenville forced a Cole Harper interception which they returned to the 30.
The Yellowjacket momentum was quickly crushed, first by a Ben Holt sack on second and 10 followed by the Maroon defensive line stuffing a draw on third down. After the ensuring punt, Danny Peoples started the drive with an 18-yard scamper, Richards busted a run for 20 and Peoples capped the drive with a 21-yard touchdown on a pretty option fake that drew the entire Stevensville defense to Richards. After the 2-point conversion run by Peoples, BC regained the lead at 15-8 and never looked back.
Two plays later, Richards blitzed from his linebacker position to force and recover a fumble that set the Maroon offense up at the 14. Harper wasn’t no time, taking the first snap after the turnover to the right side and putting Central back in the end zone. Stevensville was stymied again on their next drive. After a nice pass play gave them a first down near midfield they decide to go for it on fourth and 5. The QB keeper fooled no one and the Maroons took over with good field position.
A long Richards run set BC up with first and goal and he finished the drive on an option run from eight yards out after the Peoples drew the defense. The Yellowjackets couldn’t get anything going on their next drive and lined up to punt inside their own twenty.
The Maroon line got a great surge and forced a blocker back into the path of the punter, which Liam Doran scooped up and brought down to the 2-yard line. Kyle Harrington came in motion after being lined up as a receiver and took the ball off tackle untouched for a 34-8 lead.
Deja vu struck Stevi on the next drive. After another three and out, the punter struggled to scoop a low snap and while he managed to get it away the ball went straight up in the air and ended up on the 22-yard line. Richards found paydirt one more time as Harper hit him with a pass that Kamen caught at the 2. He was stood up by a Yellowjacket defender but wouldn’t be denied and bulled his way in for the score and capped the Maroon’s 34-0 second quarter.
The second half started with Stevensville going three and out. The Yellowjackets managed to get this punt off but the Maroons waste little time in going 59 yards to get the continuous clock going. Harper hit Richards again for a 6-yard touchdown after both had nice runs to set up the scoring play.
As was the case last week in Anaconda, the mercy rule resulted in just a few second half possessions.
Richards, Tanner Costello and Frank Hendrickson recorded second-half sacks, Colin McArthur forced a fumble and Kyle Schulte broke up a pass for the opportunistic Central defense. William Pickett capped the scoring with a minute and half to go with a 17-yard run.
The Maroon’s offensive and defensive lines dominated the game. Stevensville could only muster a handful of first downs when they had the ball and the Central offensive line opened up big holes that resulted in BC running the ball at a much higher percentage than they had previously. TW Bolton, Devin Maloghney, Jake Michelotti, Doran and Hendrickson had the best game of their young careers opening up lanes for Maroon running backs.
The Maroon’s varsity will be in action Friday night at home when Hamilton comes to Memorial Stadium. The froshmores will then travel Monday to face the Broncs in the Bitterroot Valley and put their undefeated record on the line.
— Submitted by Derek Hendrickson
