MATTHEWS – In a matchup of the
past two 4AA state champions, the Butler Bulldogs defeated the Page Pirates
56-14 in non-conference action.
The Bulldogs got on the board
quickly with a 45 yard touchdown pass from Anthony Ratliffe to Benjamin LeMay
and quickly got another score when Ratliffe streaked past the Pirate defense
for a long scoring run. “We want to score quickly and keep the ball moving,”
Ratliffe commented after the game.
Page running back Anthony Capel
got the Pirates on the board with a 25 yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
But, the Page defense could not contain the Bulldog offense as Ratliffe found
Jordan James on a 56 yard touchdown pass later in the quarter.
Butler wasn’t done scoring in the
first half. On a fourth down on the Page 36, Butler executed a fake punt and
Anthony Ratliffe found Clifton Duck in the end zone and Butler never looked
back.
Page found the end zone again after
some serious running by senior Jalen Gavin. The Pirates just didn’t have enough
to overtake the home team on Friday and the effort by Butler’s junior
quarterback Anthony Ratliffe and sophomore running back Benjamin LeMay.
Ratliffe passed for four touchdowns while running for two. LeMay scored twice
on the night as well.
“Tonight was a step forward for
our team,” Butler coach Brian Hales commented after the game.
Butler travels to Winston-Salem
to take on Mount Tabor next week while Page will be playing at county rival
Ragsdale.
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