KALISPELL — The Butte High Bulldogs saw one slip away Friday night in Kalispell. After holding a 22–16 lead with 7:48 left in the fourth quarter, a nearly half-hour lightning delay stalled their momentum, and Flathead capitalized late to hand the Dogs a tough 23–22 loss at Legends Stadium.
When play resumed, Butte came back out and punted, giving Flathead quarterback Eli Coopman a chance to take over. He did just that—using his legs to march the Braves downfield and finishing the drive himself on a 2-yard keeper with just 51 seconds left to tie it at 22. Brett Chivers’ extra point was good, giving Flathead its first lead since early in the second quarter.
Butte still had life. Brady Walsh delivered a huge kick return to set the Dogs up with great field position and a timeout left. On 4th down, Raeder Grey scrambled right and launched a dart downfield to Hudson Luedtke to move the chains, but the Bulldogs couldn’t get close enough for a potential game-winning field goal and came up just short.
Grey led the Bulldogs’ attack, completing 23 of 39 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 28 rushing yards. Kodye Kjersten caught 4 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, Kaleb Celli added 3 for 29 yards and a score, and Luedtke hauled in 13 receptions for 80 yards. Mitch Verlanic added 2 grabs for 21 yards, and Walsh chipped in one catch plus two key kick returns totaling 49 yards that kept Butte in striking distance.
On the ground, Peyton Johnson rushed for 13 yards on six carries, and Gunner Bushman found the end zone on a one-yard plunge in the second quarter.
Defensively, Jacob Galle and Mitch Verlanic led the way with 14 and 11 tackles, respectively. Bridger Brancamp came up huge in the trenches with two sacks and two tackles for loss, while Kjersten picked off a pass and returned it 21 yards. Kaleb Celli, Finn Wortham, and Hudson Luedtke each contributed tackles for loss in another gritty defensive effort.
Flathead was paced by Coopman’s 122 rushing yards, 149 passing yards, and three total touchdowns. Boston Case caught five passes for 105 yards and a score.
The Bulldogs finished with 235 total yards of offense to Flathead’s 365 but made the most of their opportunities, going 3-for-4 in the red zone and playing disciplined football with zero fumbles.
Butte (1–6) will look to regroup and get back in the win column next Thursday on the road at Missoula Hellgate. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
