For the first time this season, Butte County will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will challenge the Grace Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Butte County has given up an average of 43.8 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Butte County is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Hagerman, who was ranked fourth at the time (Butte County was ranked 22nd). Butte County lost 38-18 to Hagerman on Friday. Butte County was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 30-6.
Despite the loss, Butte County got top-tier performance from Cooper Williams, who rushed for 128 yards and three scores while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Butte County also got a significant boost from Teagan Babcock, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 94 yards.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Grace). They took their game last Friday with ease, bagging a 62-8 victory over Clearwater Valley. The win continues a trend for the Grizzlies in their matchups with the Rams: they've now won three in a row.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Grace's defense and their seven sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as seven different players picked up one apiece. Leo Burrell got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Butte County is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-7. As for Grace, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
Everything went Butte County's way against Grace in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as Butte County made off with a 48-22 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
