For the Maroons, Friday night can’t get here fast enough.

That’s when Butte Central gets the chance to wash a sour taste away by playing Havre at Blue Pony Stadium. Kickoff is at 7.

(The game will be broadcast live on KOPR, 94.1 FM. Click here to listen online.)

Butte Central opened the football season with a 33-20 non-conference loss to Belgrade Saturday at Bulldog Memorial Stadium.

The Maroons put up 406 yards of offense and looked primed to do some big things for most of the game. However, a handful of big plays — including two touchdowns on fourth down — turned Opening Night into a disheartening one.

“We were really disappointed with the outcome of that game,” BC coach Don Peoples Jr. said. “We felt we played really well at times. We beat ourselves with big plays on defense, and we didn’t take advantage of some opportunities in the red zone.

“Overall, though, we felt we did some good things.”

Peoples said he expects his team to be more complete in Week 2.

“From Week 1 to Week 2 is usually the most drastic change of the season,” Peoples said.

The Blue Ponies will also be trying to put a disappointing Week 1 behind them.

Havre fell 45-24 at Whitefish. The Blue Ponies led that game 24-18 after three quarters.

Peoples said the Ponies are a young team, having lost 17 or 18 seniors from last year. The coach also says the Ponies are also very talented.

Havre starts a freshman, Dane Warp, at quarterback. He passed for a pair of touchdowns in his first high school game.

The Blue Ponies also possess a bruising running back in Thurman Holdsclaw. The 210-pound back ran for 86 yards on 12 carries last week. He also caught four passes for 72 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown, and returned a kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s a really impressive running back,” Peoples said.

The Maroons enter the second week relatively healthy. Kale Guldseth, who caught six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, and senior running back Joe Joyce both missed substantial time in the second half with injuries.

Sophomore linebacker Ben Holt missed the game from an injury suffered during a basketball tournament. Peoples said all should be good to go Friday.

The Maroons showed off a balanced attack offensively in the opener. Senior quarterback Brady Tippett passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Tippett, who peoples said will take all the meaningful snaps Friday, also ran for 66 yards and a touchdowns.

Connor McGree caught a touchdown pass, while Chad Peterson, Wyatt Kingston and Joyce all caught passes in the opener.

A starting offensive line of Frank Joyce, Kolten Lamiaux, Brant Ahlhorn, Connor Schulte and Marcus Ferriter paved the way for a ground game that averaged 4.4 yards per carry.

Joe Joyce ran for 63 yards on 16 runs.

Throw out a few big plays, and the BC defense was dominate last week.

Schulte, Frank Joyce, Ferriter and McGree lead the way up front in front of a formidable group of linebackers led by Kaemen Richards in the middle. Kingston starts at outside linebacker opposite Holt. Peterson filled in admirably for Holt last week.

Tippett, Joe Joyce, Goldseth and Northy Tretheway make up BC’s speedy secondary.

The Maroons return home to take on Billings Central next week. After playing one more non-conference game at Laurel, BC opens its Southwestern A slate Sept. 21 at home against Anaconda.

Butte Central Maroons

Head coach

Don Peoples Jr. (24th season)

Offensive starters

QB — Brady Tippett, 5-11, 180, sr

RB — Joe Joyce, 5-10, 170, sr; Wyatt Kingston, 5-9, 170 jr

WR — Kale Guldseth, 5-8, 140, jr; Chad Peterson, 5-10, 160, so; Dalton Sessions, 6-0, 175, so; Northey Tretheway, 5-7, 155, sr

TE — Connor McGree, 6-2, 215, jr

C — Frank Joyce, 5-10, 220, sr

G —Kolten Lamiaux, 6-1, 260, sr; Brant Ahlborn, 6-3, 275, jr

T — Connor Schulte, 5-10, 220, jr; Marcus Ferriter, 6-4, 215, so

Defensive starters

T — Schulte; Frank Joyce

E — Ferriter; McGree

ILB — Kaemen Richards, 6-1, 195, so

OLB — Ben Holt, 5-9, 188, so, or Peterson; Kingston

FS — Tippett

SS — Joe Joyce

C — Guldseth; Tretheway