Ohio High School Football - Anderson smashes Butler
November 8, 2024: Cincinnati, OH 45255 The Anderson Raptors (Cincinnati, OH) football trounced the visiting Butler Aviators (Vandalia, OH), 49-14 in Friday's non-league outing.
The Raptors now sport a 12-0 record. They take the field next when they travel to Mt. Healthy for a non-league outing on Friday, November 15. Anderson will clash with a Fighting Owls squad coming off a 30-14 non-league win over Badin (Hamilton, OH). The Fighting Owls record now stands at 9-2.
With the defeat, Butler drops to 9-3 on the campaign.
First Quarter
Anderson opened the game with the ball, and three runs of 10 yards by Raptors quarterback Justice Burnam advanced the ball into the red zone early in the quarter. With 9:25 remaining, senior Durrell Turner rushed for an 8-yard touchdown to put Anderson on the board. Lucas Callahan added the PAT to make it 7-0 Raptors. The Aviators put together a solid following drive, but stalled out across midfield and turned the ball back over to Anderson on downs. The running game combination of Turner and Burnam once again moved the ball deep into Butler territory, and Burnam scampered up the middle for a three-yard score to finish the drive. Callahan made the extra point to extend the Raptors' lead to 14. The Aviators ended the first quarter with the ball, but they trailed 14-0 after one.
Second Quarter
The Raptors got a quick stop early in the second quarter, forcing a Julius Rusk punt. With 11:05 to go until the half, Burnam connected on a long pass to Aiden McClanahan for 75 yards and a touchdown. Callahan's kick was good to put Anderson ahead 21-0. Butler's next drive resulted in another punt, and the Raptors made quick work of the ensuing drive, speedily getting the ball back into the red zone. With 7:35 left in the quarter, Durrell Turner ran for his second touchdown of the night (this time from six yards out) to extend the lead to four scores. Callahan's PAT try was successful to make it 28-0. On the ensuing drive, the Aviators punted for the third straight time, pinning Anderson deep in its own territory at the 9-yard line. After Burnam racked up a couple long runs to move the ball out from under the goalpost, he found Cooper Kathman from 71 yards away for another Raptors touchdown. Callahan's extra point extended Anderson's lead to 35 and the two teams entered halftime.
Third Quarter
Butler received the ball first to begin the second half, but a promising drive was halted when the Aviators were forced to punt. Justice Burnam began the following drive with a long run, and backup quarterback Owen Scalf added a long run of his own to set the Raptors up nicely, entering the red zone to begin the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter opened with a bang. On the first play of the quarter, Anderson quarterback Owen Scalf was picked off by senior Tayven Crump (the latter's second INT of the game), who returned it 103 yards for a touchdown. Gryffin Bradley added the PAT to cut the lead to 28 at 35-7. With Burnam back at quarterback, the Raptors struck back quickly as the senior connected with Trace Jallick on a 60-yard touchdown to restore the lead. Callahan made his sixth extra point of the night to keep the clock running with 11:10 to go in the game. After a Butler punt and Anderson turned the ball over on downs, Aviator quarterback Mason Reckner found Crump from 29 yards away for the second Butler score of the night. Bradley's PAT was once again good to pull the Aviators back within four scores at 42-14 with 2:35 remaining. With 1:14 left in the game, Scalf found Trace Jallick for a 47-yard touchdown and Callahan made the extra point to close out a 49-14 victory for the Raptors.
