BOZEMAN — Butte High’s football team saw its season end Thursday night with a 42-24 loss to Bozeman in a Class AA playoff game at the new Van Winkle Stadium.
Bozeman moves on to take on Western AA champion Glacier next Friday in Kalispell.
Butte High led 3-0 after the first quarter. Bradey Doyle booted a 30-yard field goal to get Butte High on the board.
Beau Wheeler then scored on runs of 40 and 7 yards to put the Hawks up for good at 14-3.
Butte High pulled within 14-10 when Troy Samson connected with Ryan Bache for a 28-yard touchdown. That score cut the lead to 14-10.
Bozeman Quarterback Van Shockley answered with a 7-yard run with 10 seconds left in the first half, making it a 21-10 game.
Shockley opened the third quarter with a 64-yard touchdown strike to tight end Julian Taylor. The QB then added a 46-yard run to make it 35-10.
Bozeman extended the lead to 42-10 early in the fourth quarter when Shockley found Taylor again, this time for a 17-yard score.
Butte High did not go down without a fight. Samson hit Beau Taylor for a short touchdown. He then hit Miner Lee for a short pass that Lee turned into a 16-yard touchdown run with
But that was as close as the Bulldogs could get. Butte High opted to kick away after the last Bulldog touchdown with 1 minute, 53 seconds left on the clock, and the Hawks ran out the clock.
Butte High closes the season at 4-6. Bozeman will head to Kalispell at 6-4.
