WHITEFISH — A big play on offense shifted the momentum and Whitefish’s defense snuffed out any chance Butte Central entertained of mounting any type of serious comeback as the Bulldogs posted a 43-12 victory in the opening round of the Class A football playoffs Saturday afternoon at damp and muddy Memorial Field.

Sophomore quarterback Luke May and Jed Nagler teamed up on an 84-yard touchdown pass with 9:08 left in the half to put Whitefish (8-2) in front for good at 14-12.

The Bulldogs followed with two more touchdowns before intermission on a 10-yard run by May and a 4-yard run by Sean Foley to take a commanding 28-12 lead.

Game over.

“It was definitely a big game-changer,” May said of the pass to Nagler.

“We’ve been running that play in practice a lot. When their safety rolled over to the four-receiver side, I knew he’d be open. He’s such a great athlete and fast. I just lobbed it up there for him. I didn’t want to overthrow him.”

Nagler caught the pass in stride and broke free from the one-handed grasp of Butte Central defender Cal Hollow on his way to the end zone.

“That really motivated us,” May said.

“First time we’ve run that play (in a game). My line did a great job blocking up front.”

May was 12 of 19 passing for 265 yards. He rushed 10 times for 83 yards.

Calub Thilmony, who scored a third-quarter touchdown on a 22-yard burst up the middle while leaving several tacklers in his wake, totaled 85 yards on 15 attempts.

Chris Park, who scored the final touchdown on a 12-yard burst in the fourth quarter, had 68 yards on five carries.

Foley totaled five receptions for 88 yards and Streibich had seven catches for 93 yards.

“Everything was clicking,” May said after the big score.

“We were running the ball well.”

Whitefish’s defense intercepted Butte Central quarterback Danny Peoples four times. The Maroons (5-4) also lost two fumbles.

Three of those turnovers led to Whitefish scores.

“They have been great for us all year,” May said of the defense.

“Those DBs do their job well and we were getting a good pass rush.”

Walter Holliday’s interception in the end zone killed Butte Central’s opening drive of the second half.

“We really dominated that part of the game,” Whitefish coach Chad Ross said.

“Our secondary for the year had 23 picks. Now four more today.

“They played great and were led by a whole bunch of seniors our there,” he added.

“They were solid in all aspects of it.”

Even when Whitefish trailed 12-7, Ross said his defensive unit didn’t panic.

“They still had confidence,” he said.

“They were OK. It was great leadership by those seniors.

“This was our first playoff victory in nine years,” Ross said.

“We’re excited about that.”

Whitefish moves on to quarterfinal action next Saturday at Belgrade. Those two teams met back on Sept. 14 in Belgrade with Belgrade winning 21-19.

“This was a big win for the whole community and everyone,” May said.

“It’s good to get the winning tradition back for Whitefish. We want to keep it rolling. The seniors put in the work to help our team get this far.”

Butte Central 6 6 0 0 — 12

Whitefish 7 21 8 7 — 43

First Quarter

Whitefish — Luke May 4 run (Nathan Boone kick), 7:13

Butte Central — Wyatt Kingston 18 run (run failed), 4:08

Second Quarter

Butte Central — Kale Guldseth 24 pass from Danny Peoples (run failed), 10:07

Whitefish — Jed Nagler 84 pass from May (Boone kick), 9:08

Whitefish — May 10 run (Boone kick), 5:30

Whitefish — Sean Foley 4 run (Boone kick), :20

Third Quarter

Whitefish — Calub Thilmony 22 run (Jack Streibich pass from Foley), 2:54

Fourth Quarter

Whitefish — Chris Park 12 run (Boone kick), 3:03

————

Fumble recoveries for Whitefish — Brady Harwood and Michael Voisin

Interceptions for Whitefish — Walter Holliday, Sean Foley, Calub Thilmony, Jack Streibich