In the win column
BUTLER TWP — The night belonged to Ethan Linnon and his family.
The game, at long last, belonged to Butler.
The Golden Tornado produced two 100-yard rushers, a 100-yard passer and 100-yard receiver in their most productive offensive night of the season. Butler made key defensive and special teams plays as well in a 30-22 Northern Eight football win over Fox Chapel at Art Bernardi Stadium.
The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak for the Tornado (1-7, 1-5) dating back to last season.
But this night was about more than football.
“This has been an emotionally exhausting week,” Butler coach Rob Densmore said. “But it's the perfect way to end it.”
Densmore was wearing a black Batman shirt — as were many of Butler's assistant coaches on the sidelines, students and community members in the stands. The sequinettes wore them while performing with the band.
The back of the shirts read “In loving memory of Ethan Linnon,” honoring the Butler senior who was killed in an automobile accident last weekend.
“We all loved Ethan,” Butler senior linebacker Tim Vernick said. “What happened there was a horrible tragedy.
“There was no way we weren't leaving this field with a win. With the help of God, this one was for Ethan.”
The band and student section repeatedly chanted “We love Ethan!” throughout the game.
Butler trailed the winless Foxes (0-8, 0-7) 7-0 midway through the second quarter when Vernick intercepted a pass and returned it 13 yards to the Foxes' 42-yard line. Senior Kelley Kuharic pulled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Brandon Fleeger on the game's next play.
Logan Dubyak's 77-yard touchdown run gave the Tornado a 14-7 edge before an 80-yard Fox Chapel drive knotted things just before halftime.
“This was a close game and I knew it would be,” Densmore said. “Both teams wanted this one badly.”
A dominant third quarter proved to be the difference for Butler.Damien Pickett's 6-yard scoring run capped a 65-yard scoring drive.Vernick blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety.Dubyak scored on a 24-yard run three plays later and the Tornado lead ballooned to 30-14.“That safety was a huge play in this game,” Fox Chapel coach Tom Loughran said. “We gave up too many long runs, deep passes, too many mistakes to win.”The Foxes did make things interesting late. Tommy Smith — who rushed for 163 yards — scored his second touchdown on a 9-yard run with 4:57 left.A two-point conversion pass cut the deficit to 30-22.But the Tornado ate up clock afterward, buoyed by an 11-yard Kuharic reception on a third-and-9 play.Kuharic caught a short pass in the right flat, then cut through the middle to reach the sticks.“Our line gave me a seam there, a place to go,” Kuharic said. “We had to extend the possession there. We won this game with heart tonight.“You could feel it all through the stadium. I've never been part of anything like this. That heart came from Ethan.”Kuharic had six catches for 101 yards on the night. Dubyak rushed for 177 yards, Pickett for 109. Fleeger threw for 110. Butler eventually punted and Fox Chapel took possession at its own 20 with 2:15 left.Sure tackles by Dubyak and Brandon Hilderbrand stopped tight end Russell Livingston short of the sticks. Trevor Darian batted down a third-down pass and Spina was sacked by Seth McCrea and Dubyak on fourth down.“We couldn't keep their blitz out of our backfield late in the game,” Loughran said. “Butler played with emotion tonight.“What happened in their community was an awful thing. I don't envy them having to go through that.”Densmore acknowledged the atmosphere in the stands and on the field.“This community, this school came together tonight for a tragic reason,” he said. “We're hoping to bring them together here in the future for positive reasons.“We don't have the ability to make it happen overnight nor will it. But we can make it happen.”Butler's seniors were recognized before the game, Butler's last home contest of the year.“And it was the seniors who got it done ... with a little help from our future,” Densmore said.
