By Bruce Sayler
TO BE CORRECTED
Some nights are just good, some players, too, on those nights.
Senior GG Fantini was announced as Homecoming King Friday night between halves of scoring three touchdowns in a 54-0 blowout victory for Butte Central over Ronan in a high school football game at Bob Green Field.
The win put Butte Central in the win column after an 0-2 start to the season with the Maroons heading into an idle weekend next. Fantini ran for 72 yards and caught four passes for 40 yards in addition to picking off an interception (a touchdown, too, except for being called back on a penalty) and wearing the Homecoming crown.
Butte Central girls’ basketball, volleyball and track athlete Rylee Forbes was elected Homecoming Queen.
At 5-feet-10 inches, 180 pounds of speed and muscle, Fantini should be bursting upon the college recruiting charts. On a night like Friday, though, he was just having fun.
“It starts in the weight room and then with coaches and parents,” he said, dispelling the idea that his talent is just natural and instinctive darting, dodging and speeding away. “The coaches and parents pushing me – in my family, it’s genetics. And, then it’s teammates and friends and bros pushing me, getting me out of bed and to the weight room.”
He was carted off the field in Hardin last week after an injury that failed to sideline him much time at all. His 60-yard scoring dash and two TD pass receptions from sophomore quarterback Noah Sutton made Ronan hurt.
Butte Central ripped onto the scoreboard 3 ½ minutes into the game while the first class of school Hall of Famers looked on from the stands. Sutton faked a handoff to a back crashing for the line, then lofted a toss downfield near the West sidelines and his older brother, senior Joshua Sutton, gathered it in stride behind the Chiefs’ secondary and the Maroons had the lead for good on the 66-yard connection.
After the BC defense forced the first of several Ronan three-and-outs, Fantini took a pitch from Noah Sutton on first down at his own 40-yard line and burned his way down the same West sideline. Jaxon Hiatt’s block downfield about three yards ahead of Fantini freed the speedster to complete the 60-yard TD dash.
“The offensive linemen and wide receivers get it open,” Fantini said of his favorite plays, the pitches and sweeps (“Get past and go!”). “I did hesitate once on the run tonight, slowed down for Jaxon to get the block. It was a great one.”
All suited Maroons played in the win and only reserves were on the field for the final quarter. The teams played the second half with a running clock after BC built a 40-0 halftime bulge.
“We really needed that tonight,” head coach Don Peoples Jr. said. “We played two tough games and kids were riled up about being 0-and-2. I’m happy with how we responded and how we executed tonight.
“We have to clean up those penalties.”
Butte Central was penalized 10 times for 95 yards, many, though, when the backups were in the game.
The BC defense shined with 42 total yards allowed. The Maroons picked off two passes (Fantini and Burkley Lakkala) and recovered a muffed kickoff (Hiatt). Ronan completed just two passes and attained only two first downs.
Sophomore running back Henly Mansanti scored two of the Butte Central TDs on a 34-yard romp and on a 4-yard pass from Noah Sutton. Sutton also kept for a touchdown and freshman running back Braydon Armstrong charted his first varsity TD on a 3-yard burrow in the waning moments. Sutton passed for 196 yards, going a sizzling 12-for-14 on his throws to seven different receivers.
“Noah gets better and better every game,” Peoples said. “I’m proud of our kids. The young kids came in and did the job, too.”
The Maroons will be off next weekend, then play at Corvallis to open their Southwestern A Conference season on September 25.
“It’s good we got this win going into our bye week,” the 38th-year head coach of the BC program said. “Our conference is going to be a gauntlet.”
Palmer Kellicut, twin ends Bobby and Danny McCarthy, linebacker Gunnar O’Brien and linemen Jack Nylund were among the defensive stars in the unit’s shutout pitched Friday against Ronan.
Ronan 0 0 0 0 — 0
Butte Central 20 20 7 7 – 54
First Quarter
BC – Joshua Sutton 66 pass from Noah Sutton (Palmer Kellicut kick), 8:24.
BC – GG Fantini 66 run (kick failed), 6:07.
BC – N. Sutton 4 run (Kellicut kick), :33.
Second Quarter
BC – Fantini 17 pass from N. Sutton (Kellicut kick), 8:50.
BC—Henly Mansanti 34 run (Kellicut kick). 6:43.
BC – Mansanti 4 pass from N. Sutton (kick blocked), :20.
Third Quarter
BC – Fantini 12 pass from N. Sutton (Kellicut kick), 3:10.
Fourth Quarter
BC – Braydon Armstrong 3 run (Kellicut kick), 4:43.
Ron BC
First downs 2 19
Rushes-yards 22-23 30-187
Passes 2-5-2 12-14-0
Passing yards 19 196
Total offense 42 383
Return yards 0 14
Punts-avg. x-6-24.2 0-0
Fumbles-lost 3-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 4-24 10-95
Individual Statistics
RUSHING – Ronan, Layton Burland 12-20, Austin Schall 2-16, Ethan Day 5-2, Diezel Jeppesen 1-1, Team 2-(-16). Butte Central, GG Fantini 2-72, Henly Mansanti 7-46, Danny McCarthy 6-33, Blake Connors 3-30, Noah Sutton 3-29, Braydon Armstrong 3-12, Logan Bush 3-6, Joshua Sutton 1-0, Team 6-(-23).
PASSING – Ronan, Gabe Lozeau 2-5-2-10. Butte Central, N. Sutton 12-14-0-196.
RECEIVING – Ronan, Day 1-14, Aiden Schall 1-5. Butte Central, J. Sutton 1-66, Fantini 4-40, Jaxon Hiatt 3-39, Connors 1-34, Grady Button 1-8, Treigh Hollow 1-7, Mansanti 1-4.
