BUTLER TWP — Fumbling for the sixth time on the night, Butler finally lost one.

And it was a big one.

“I guess it was our time, finally,” Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz said.

Facing a third-and-2 from its own 11-yard line and trailing by eight points with 2:40 to play, the Golden Tornado lost the football on a running play. The Rams' Jesse Meckler recovered at the Butler 7.

Meckler scored on a 4-yard run two plays later and Pine-Richland claimed a 28-13 Northern Seven football win Friday night at Art Bernardi Stadium.

“We were in this game late against a very good football team,” Butler coach Rob Densmore said. “You always want to win, but we can take a lot of positives from this.

“I've said since the day I was hired, this was gonna be a process. We moved the ball tonight. We just didn't finish drives. That's the next step.”

Butler (2-6, 1-5) turned the ball over on its final two possessions. Tyler King intercepted a pass in the waning seconds. The Tornado did not have any turnovers until the final three minutes.

Butler fell behind 14-0 in the first half. Max Devinney — who threw for 384 yards and two touchdowns on the night — hooked up with running back Jordan Crawford for a 79-yard bomb late in the first quarter.

The Rams (6-3, 4-1) then recovered an onsides kick, setting up Crawford for a 3-yard scoring run with 11:10 left in the half.

Butler quarterback Dallas Hays got loose for a 60-yard scoring run moments later. The Tornado partially blocked a 23-yard Vitorio Orsini field goal attempt midway through the second quarter.

Butler drove into Rams' territory twice more in the half. Those possessions ended on a punt, then at the Pine-Richland 23 as time expired.

“Our problem was we were getting caught behind the sticks a little too much,” Densmore said. “They didn't really stop us. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot.”

The Tornado ruashed for 271 yards in the game. Hays had 137 of those and scored both Butler touchdowns.

Butler took the second-half kickoff and drove to the Pine-Richland 10. Cade Gratzmiller's 27-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Devinney connected with Raymond Falcone for a 46-yard TD strike on the Rams' first possession of the second half. Hays' 1-yard scoring run completed a 13--play, 80-yard drive early in the fourth quarter. Butler trailed 21-13 as Gratzmiller's PAT was blocked.

“They are a much-improved team,” Kasperowicz said. “They don't wow you with any fancy schemes, but they play physical football and with (rainy) weather like tonight, that can really be effective.

“One thing we have to do is run the ball better.”

Butler linemen Dawson Davenport and Seth McCrea produced a few tackles for loss in the contest.

Pine-Richland did drop a number of passes deep downfield.

“It felt like we left another 300 yards out there with those drops,” Kasperowicz said.

“That is one heckuva offense no matter who is at quarterback,” Densmore said. “Our defense did a good job pursuing to the ball all night. That passing game is tough to defend.”