Bartlett Hawks -vs- Metea Valley
[My son James Butler #32 rb]
Daily Herald StaffPublished: 10/8/2011 1:13 AM.It was an offense-filled homecoming for the Bartlett Hawks football team.
The Hawks (5-2, 4-0) shut out the Metea Valley Mustangs 42-0 in Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division play at Millennium Field Friday night, becoming playoff eligible in the process and keeping their conference championship hopes alive and well.
The Hawks can clinch the conference title and the league's playoff representative spot with a win at Neuqua Valley next week.
Most of Friday's offensive explosion started right away in the first quarter, when the Hawks put 21 points on the board. The first touchdown was a 15-yard run by running back Aaron Everson, and running back Nate Massey followed up just a few minutes later with a 2-yard run for a touchdown. With about a minute left in the quarter, Metea Valley fumbled on a punt return, which was recovered by the Hawks, who would then score their third touchdown of the quarter on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Aj Bilyeu to tight end Lorenzo Mitchell.
Among the offensive highlights in the game for the Hawks, running back James Butler stole the show, rushing for 176 yards on 19 carries, including an 80-yard run in the first quarter to set up the 2-yard touchdown run for Massey. Butler gave the credit for his game to the offensive line.
"I think we have the best offensive line in the area," said Butler. "They're great, I love those guys. They take care of me."
In the second quarter, the Hawks would add to the lead just before halftime with a 1-yard run from Butler, who was happy to have a touchdown on his score sheet.
"Coach has been stressing all week about being a 'native of Finland' ... meaning to 'finish'," said Butler with a laugh. "I was a little confused, but I got what it meant. I only got one (touchdown), but one is good. I just want to help the team win."
The Hawks would keep the offense going in the second half, this time with the pass. Bilyeu found wide receiver Zach Karys for two touchdowns a 32-yard pass in the third quarter, and a 5-yard pass in the fourth to seal the victory.
The Mustangs (3-4, 1-4) relied on the run game, due to an injury to starting quarterback Jarrett House suffered in Week 4 at South Elgin. Running back Cameron Wilcox led the Mustangs with 57 yards on 4 carries, while Zach Wood had 21 yards on 7 carries. The team as a whole struggled throughout the game, and head coach Ted Monken knows that the size of the kids on his team didn't work to their advantage.
"(Bartlett) has some big fellas," said Monken. "I want to know where they find those guys. Physically, we just don't match up with a big team like this. We can fight and scrap, but football is still a very physical game."
By Lauren Recchia
