Lightning bolts struck all around the area prior to the 7:40 kickoff at Art Berardi Stadium, the thunder, however, stayed for an entire 48 minutes in the form of hard hitting, smash mouth high school football.
Art Berardi Stadium, home of the Butler Golden Tornado, was the site for week one of Prugar’s Pick of the Week. The Golden Tornado couldn’t hold off the visiting Altoona Mountain Lions in a WPIAL Quad A matchup, and lost 19-17.
The storms left the Butler area prior to kickoff yet thunder on the field was prevalent throughout the game in the form of punishing running attacks for both squads. Sophomore Tyler Pettucci led the way for the Mountain Lions putting together an impressive debut rushing for 127 yards on 17 carries.
Butler’s version of thunder came in the form of a strong performance on the ground from senior Damien Pickett. Pickett, paving the way in the backfield for the Golden Tornado offense, got on the board with a 33 yard catch and run to put his team out early with a 6-0 lead. A Devin Fitz successful extra point pushed the lead to seven late in the first quarter.
Out of the gates, both sides struggled to find their groove as the first game jitters took their toll. It was not until Pickett’s touchdown that momentum was felt gravitating toward one team. A Golden Tornado fumble recovery helped turn the tide for Butler as two plays later senior Shad Stepp found Pickett in the flats and took the ball to the house for six.
Altoona looked to get on the board with a little wild cat formation that had senior Christian Toohey receiving the snap. Toovey scampered in for the touchdown, but it was all for naught as the Mountain Lions committed an illegal chop block and the play was called back. Junior quarterback Ryan Shope found fellow junior Josh Russo for a 33 yard completion with Russo demonstrating excellent hand work hauling in the Shope laser. Following the completion, the Mountain Lions were penalized three times in a row for illegal procedures in the form of false starts.
The Tyler Pettucci show began in the middle of the second quarter for the Mountain Lions. Altoona coach giving Russo a breather, handed the ball to the sophomore and he put on a clinic for the crowd in Butler. Feeding the ball to Pettucci the whole drive, the offense of the Mountain Lions drove down the field sparked by long runs of 27, 19, and 13 yards by the sophomore running back. A 1 yard run capped off the 70 yard drive by the Mountain Lions. Evan Lingafelt tied the game up with a made extra point.
Pickett gashed the Altoona defense for 31 yard gain on the ensuing Butler possession. The Altoona defense responded by forcing a Golden Tornado fumble with senior Nick Hayden returning to the Butler 37. It was then, Shope found junior Dalquain Watson for a 36 yard touchdown reception, putting the Mountain Lions up six with 46 seconds left in the half. The Lingafelt kick sailed on the wrong side of the upright keeping the Altoona lead at 13-6.
Carrying the momentum, and the lead, Altoona’s kick to start the second half bounced out of bounds giving Butler good field position to start the half. Both sides swapped three and outs to begin the third quarter as neither seemed to care who really had the momentum.
Following an Altoona three and out, Butler was called for a block in the back on the punt return forcing them to start the drive at their own 42 yard line. After a Pickett rush, Stepp found junior receiver Scott Dietrich for a 65 yard touchdown pass to put the Golden Tornado up seven over the Mountain Lions.
The Golden Tornado defense kept the Mountain Lions quiet early in the third quarter forcing another three and out to get the ball back in the hands of Stepp and his offense. Feeding the ball to Dallas Hays on this drive led to a 27 yard run by the junior running back. The Altoona defense held the Butler offense, forcing a 37 yard attempt by Fitz. The field goal sailed easily through the goal posts giving the Golden Tornado a 4 point lead.
After the Fitz field goal, Altoona began to drive the ball downfield. Shope hit Lingafelt with dart to put the Mountain Lions short of midfield followed a few plays later by an elusive Pettucci breaking off a 15 yard run.
At the end of the third the Mountain Lions found themselves at the Golden Tornado 29 yard line. Shope found Watson again for a 13 yard touchdown to put Altoona up two early in the fourth quarter as the Lingafelt extra point attempt clanked off the cross bar: no good.
Butler’s next drive stalled out as Altoona forced Hays to fumble and the recovery set the Mountain Lions up in good field position for their next drive. The Golden Tornado defense stifled Shope and his offense getting two sacks in a row to force a punt.
Following the Mountain Lion punt, the Golden Tornado took over on their own 20 yard line. After giving up a first down, Altoona forced Butler in to a fourth and one situation leading to a Pickett rush to get the first. A costly, yet potentially strategic, pass interference penalty on the Mountain Lions gave the Golden Tornado a free 15 yards. Had the Altoona defender not tripped Dietrich, the Stepp pass could have easily been taken in for six points.The Mountain Lions’ defense rose to the occasion and forced a fourth and twelve and a timeout for the Golden Tornado.
Following the time out, with the game on the line, Stepp dropped back to pass and was met by Altoona senior Nick Hayden for an immediate loss. The Mountain Lions got the ball back at the 29 yard line of Butler and fed the ball to their workhorse, Pettucci for two rushes with the latter resulting in a first down.
Shope, who threw the first two touchdowns of his career, finished with 108 yards through the air. The Mountain Lions, of which 18 starters were lost to graduation from last year, seemed to have found the fountain of youth in their backfields.
Altoona and Butler’s squads may be young, but the futures of both teams are as bright as the Friday night lights they play under.
Quarter: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Altoona 0 13 0 6 19
Butler 7 0 10 0 17
FIRST QUARTER
Butler-Damien Pickett 1 yard rush. (Fitz kick) 2:32
SECOND QUARTER
Altoona-Tyler Pettucci 2 yard rush. (Lingafelt kick) 4:15
Altoona-Ryan Shope to Dalquain Watson 36 yard pass :46
THIRD QUARTER
Butler-Shad Stepp 65 yard pass to Scott Dietrich (Fitz kick) 7:29
Butler-Devin Fitz 37 yard field goal 2:51
FOURTH QUARTER
AltoonaRyan Shope to Dalquain Watson 13 yard pass. 9:22
Game Notes:
Prior to the game, Rhett Wahler and Dominic Noel, both seniors, were honored with plaques for embodying the seven core values of the US Army as part of the US Army’s Friday Night Lights Tour.
Altoona hits the road again next week for a matchup against McKeesport.
Butler travels to Baldwin for their first road game of the season next week.
Prugar’s Player of the Game:
Tyler Pettucci: 17 rushes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby for a debut. What makes him Prugar’s Player of the Game was his ability to carry the load for the Mountain Lions on their 70 yard scoring drive late in the first half.
Prugar’s Pick of the Week: September 11th.
Next week’s Pick of the Week takes us to Woodland Hills for a quad A matchup against Bethel Park.
