CANONSBURG — For the third straight Friday night, Butler was within a possession of tying or taking the lead late in the fourth quarter.

The Golden Tornado (2-7) fell short in the waning moments again, dropping a 31-17 non-conference football decision at Canon-McMillan to end their season.

Up 24-17, the Big Macs (5-5) were driving for an apparent game-clinching score in the fourth period. Dallas Hays thwarted that when he intercepted a pass in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 7-yard line with 4:28 to play.

“The heart that kid showed this year was unbelievable,” Butler coach Rob Densmore said. “He may have been playing with a broken hand much of tonight. That’s why he couldn’t throw the ball.

“All of our seniors gave everything they had. Whether your record is 7-2 or 2-7, you’re still putting the work in.”

With Hays banged up, Luke Michalek stepped in at quarterback following Hays’ pick. But on third down from the Tornado 28, Hays was intercepted by defensive lineman Nathaniel Taylor, who returned the theft 23 yards to the Butler 4.

Canon-McMillan running back Bryan Milligan capped a huge night by scoring on a 9-yard run with 2:09 left to ice the game. The Big Mac senior reached the 1,000-yard mark for the season on a 9-yard TD run in the first quarter. He had 34 carries for 211 yards and two scores in the game.

“He rushed for 200 yards against Bethel Park a few weeks ago,” Canon-McMillan coach Mike Evans said. “That kid is just a workhorse as a running back. I didn’t realize he had that many carries.”

Butler did. The Tornado just couldn’t do much about it.

“We knew the stretch play was coming and we couldn’t stop it,” Densmore said. “Their offensive line outplayed us and I didn’t see that coming. Give all the credit in the world to those guys.”

Michalek played sparingly after suffering a sprained ankle in the first quarter. He did return a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown midway through the third period to pull the Tornado within 17-15. Butler tied the game when Hays ran in the two-point conversion.

“Luke wanted to play more. The pain was too much to keep him out there all the time,” Densmore said.

The Big Macs secured their first five-win season since 2008.

Quarterback Jordan Castelli threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns, setting a single-season school passing yardage record in the process.

“That kid is a college caliber player, even though this was his first year as a starter,” Evans said.

The Big Macs took the lead for good at 24-17 as Castelli tossed a 14-yard scoring pass to Cuyler Rancher to cap a 59-yard drive with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

Hays rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Tornado. Freshman Emerson Douthett booted a 28-yard field goal.

Handcuffed by the Hays and Michalek injuries, Butler managed only two first downs in the second half.

Canon-McMillan rolled up 20 first downs and 399 yards of offense.

“We were outplayed. They controlled the ball,” Densmore said. “It’s tough saying goodbye to these seniors because they’re the first group I had for three years.

“We do have a lot of key people coming back. We’ll go to work on next year and work to get better.”