By Cody Morris
Last week there was a lot of optimism around the Butler Bears football program, as they had bounced back from two quick losses to open the season and rattled off a pair of Ws to even their record out at 2-2. Going into this past week, the optimism was still there, but it was paired with a bit of caution by many Butler fans, as the team was set to take a nearly four-hour excursion to the campus of St. James High School, nestled between Springfield and St. Louis.
On paper, it was set to be a decent matchup, as both teams sat at a .500 record through one month of football at 2-2. However, St. James is a larger Class 3 school, and Butler was on the road, expected to battle after nearly four hours on a bus. Going into the matchup, BHS Head Coach Kyle Rhodes acknowledged some of the struggles his squad may face, saying the game was “a very extreme away game for us, almost four hours, so that’ll be just one more of those adversities for us.”
Despite the hours on the road and the larger Class 3 school waiting for them, the Bears felt confident. “I’m looking for it to be a really good matchup though … I think that we can compete with anyone that we’re on the field with,” Rhodes said when previewing the game last week.
The Bears were able to strike first when Alden Hedrick hit Renner Martin for a 76-yard TD pass to put the Bears in front, 6-0. With about five minutes until intermission, the Bears had just taken over at their own 24-yard line after forcing a Tigers punt when Hedrick spotted an open Martin and was able to get him the football. Renner was then off to the races, sprinting 75 yards after the catch to find the end zone and give Butler the first lead of the ballgame.
In the third quarter, a couple of Bears penalties took what would have been a third-and-long for the Tigers and turned it into a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. With the advantageous field position that the Bears gifted them, the Tigers were able to punch the ball across the goal line to knot the score up at six apiece. Toward the end of the third quarter, the Tigers were once again driving down the field when Chris Castro was able to find his way into the backfield and wreak havoc, forcing a St. James fumble that Josiah Ferrell was able to fall on to give the Bears an extra possession.
Butler was unable to convert the turnover into points. However, a nearly 60-yard punt from the boot of DK Woolace would pin the Tigers inside their own 4-yard line. After forcing a three-and-out, the combination of Woolace’s punt and Butler’s defensive stop gave the Bears decent field position. Hedrick stepped up in the pocket and threw a 35-yard bomb to Lucas Davidson, who made a contested catch to give the Bears a first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line. Davidson completed the drive with a short-yardage TD run as the Bears took a 12-6 lead in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers exploded for a nearly 50-yard return to begin their possession inside the red zone. With the beneficial field position, the Tigers scored to tie the game up at 12-12, then were able to convert a two-point conversion to take a 14-12 lead with six minutes remaining in the contest.
On the following drive, the Bears milked the clock and let Davidson run into the end zone with 1:24 to go, giving Butler an 18-14 lead with under two minutes to play.
On their final possession, the Tigers’ protection began to break down as the Bears were living in the backfield, applying pressure and recording sacks to seal the victory for Butler.
The Bears have now won three games in a row and sit at 3-2 on the year. The rest of the opponents on the Bears’ schedule sit with a combined record of 10-10, setting the stage for what could be a strong ending to a Bears season that started off with early questions.
Next week will be Homecoming for Butler as they host the 3-2 Sherwood Marksmen.
Photos by Kellie Davidson
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