Flathead drops dogfight with Butte 21-7
JOSH DUGAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 7 months AGO
Flathead quarterback Kaleb Sims (5) drops back to pass in the fourth quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead tight end Braden Capser (47) picks up yardage after a reception in the second quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead tight end Gabe Sims (84) picks up yardage after a reception in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead defensive lineman Austin Schabel (52) celebrates after a sack of Butte quarterback Bo Demarais in the third quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead quarterback Kaleb Sims (5) drops back to pass in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead defensive lineman Gabe Sims (84) sacks Butte quarterback Bo Demarais in the first quarter at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead running back Jaden Williams (1) looks for running room in the second quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead wide receiver Ben Bliven (2) picks up yardage on a reception in the third quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead wide receivers Brody Thornsberry (88) and Tim Zundel (0) celebrate after Thornsberry's touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead wide receiver Brody Thornsberry (88) pulls in a long reception along the sideline in the fourth quarter against Butte at Legends Stadium on Friday, Sept. 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Josh Dugan covers sports for the Daily Inter Lake, and hosts the Sports Now and Big Sky Now podcasts on the Hagadone Sports Network. Josh is a graduate of Cal State Monterey Bay and founded the digital media brand The Zone Sports. He can be reached at jdugan@dailyinterlake.com or 406-758-4441. | September 22, 2023 11:01 PM
It was a tale of two halves Friday night at Legends Stadium where the Flathead Braves lost a hard fought western AA battle with the Butte Bulldogs 21-7.
Butte quarterback Bo Demarais found Hudson Luedtke for a touchdown late in the first quarter and rushed for another early in the second. Karson Pumnea took a Demarais handoff and found the end zone for Butte with 3:18 to play to give the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead late in the second quarter.
From there the Braves defense came to life and pitched a shutout by stringing together stop after stop to force five Butte punts in the second half.
“Defense was challenged at halftime to pitch a shutout…couldn’t be prouder of those guys, they play their hearts out, they really do,” Flathead head coach Caleb Aland said. “To do what they did, respond the way they did, even with their backs up against the wall down there after an interception. Huge.”
With the game in reach late in the fourth quarter, Flathead quarterback Kaleb Sims led an 88-yard scoring drive to keep the Braves in striking distance till the final whistle. On that drive Sims took a snap at his own 41-yard line and hit Stephen Riley across the middle in Butte territory and a personal foul call on the Bulldogs set the Braves up with a first down in the red zone. Riley finished with three catches for 30 yards.
On fourth down and 10, Sims connected with Brody Thornsberry on a perfectly placed ball in the back right corner of the endzone to put Flathead on the board and send the homecoming crowd into a frenzy.
“There’s a lot to be proud of but at some point we need to stop beating ourselves, right now we keep getting in our own way,” Aland said. “Eventually it’s going to stop and we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
Sims finished 21 of 45 passing for 233 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Thornsberry had four catches for 77 yards and one score. Ben Bliven paced the Braves with five receptions for 40 yards and Gabe Sims hauled in four catches for 40 yards. Jaden Williams was the team-high rusher for the Braves with 38 yards on 16 carries.
Butte’s Demarais finished 17 of 30 passing for 153 yards and a touchdown while adding 45 yards and a touchdown with his legs on nine carries. Pumnea totaled 24 rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Butte — 7 14 0 0
Flathead — 0 0 0 7
B - Hudson Luedtke 8 pass from Bo Demarais (Boyd Dewitt kick), 1:38 1Q
B - Bo Demarais 11 run (Boyd Dewitt kick,) 9:35 2Q
B- Karson Pumnea 10 run 3:18 (Boyd Dewitt kick), 2Q
FH - Brody Thornsberry 18 pass from Kaleb Sims (Miller Bushnell kick), 6:26 4Q
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Butte (39-140) Pumnea 24-73, Demarais 9-45, Trey Hansen 2-16, Luedtke 1-3, Aiden Chuchine 1-1, Ruseo Batterman 2-2. Flathead (21-44) — Jaden Williams 16-38, Braden Capser 1-6, Ben Bliven 1-0, Sims 3-0.
PASSING: Butte — Demarais 17-30-0 for 153 yards. Flathead — Sims 21-45-3 for 233 yards.
RECEIVING: Butte — Tocher Lee 5-24, Will Taylor 3-47, Luedtke 3-37, Sam Sampson 2-16, Rueso Batterman 2-13, Gavin Rowe 1-11, Pumnea 1-5. Flathead — Bliven 5-40, Brody Thornsberry 4-70, Gabe Sims 4-40, Stephen Riley 3-30, Capser 2-26, Nolan Cambell 2-11, Tim Zundel 1-9.
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