The North Butler football team rushed for 463 yards to pull away for a 48-6 win at Postville in Class A District 3 play on Friday, as aired on 99 The Wave.
North Butler’s Evan McCormick carried in his first touchdown of the season from 24 yards out to give the Bearcats a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. The Bearcats struck again on their next drive with a 27 yard touchdown run by Tucker Pecha to go up 12-0 with two seconds left in the quarter. Following a Bearcats turnover, the Pirates got on the board to cut their deficit to 12-6 midway through the second quarter. A 40 yard sprint to the house by Pecha and a six yard touchdown run by Peyton Knoll, his first of the season, delivered a 24-6 advantage for the Bearcats entering the half. The Bearcat defense held the Pirates offense to under 30 yards in the first half. The Bearcats put the game out of reach with three second half scores, a Knoll two yard run, and a five yard and six yard run by McCormick to take a 48-6 lead early in the fourth. The Bearcat defense kept the Pirates off the board in the second half to close out a road district victory. Head Coach Jordan Vanderloop highlights who sparked the run game and the performance of the defense.
“There’s just so many guys that we rotated in, they were able to open up and create holes for the running backs. We were able to kind of split some carries a little bit between Tucker, Peyton and Evan. They each brought something to it. We had kind of a three-headed monster. They were able to really exploit the holes, find the gaps and cut back lanes. They each had a great night,” says Vanderloop. “It started with D-Line, getting pressure and making sure their quarterback wasn’t able to go through his progressions. They did a great job with them. The linebackers and defensive backs stayed with their guys. Everyone did their assignment and did an excellent job. My hats off to Coach Stirling, Coach Buss, Coach Ball and the defense. They had them ready to go and they played excellent.”
Pecha led a trio of backs with 231 yards and two touchdowns. McCormick rushed for 91 yards and three touchdowns. Knoll led the Bearcats defense with 14 tackles and rushed for two touchdowns.
North Butler (4-3, 3-2 A-3) will host #2 (A) Saint Ansgar for senior night to conclude the regular season in Week 8.
