Butte couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They were just a hair shy of victory on Friday and fell 28-27 to the Billings West Golden Bears. The matchup was a 14-14 toss-up at halftime, but the Bulldogs couldn't quite close it out.
Butte lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Hudson Luedtke, who picked up 33 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Tocher Lee was another key pass catcher, picking up 90 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Butte wouldn't let Billings West keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Butte can thank Asher Palmer and Mitch Verlanic for forcing both of them. Verlanic also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble and making five total tackles.
CJ Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew for Billings West as he threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns while completing 74.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 52 yards on only six carries. The dominant performance gave Johnson a new career-high in rushing yards. Matt Ludwig was another key player, gaining 75 total yards and two touchdowns.
Butte will head out to square off against Bozeman at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Butte is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses dating back to last season. As for Billings West, they will look to take advantage of their home-field for the first time this season as they take on Helena at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
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