Beech Tree News Network

Butler County found itself on the wrong end of a lopsided score on Friday night in Morgantown as the Russellville Panthers handed the Bears a 41-0 homecoming loss. 
Poor field position plagued the Bears from the outset as a fumble on kick-off return put the ball on the BC 1-yard line.  Still, carries by Butler's Jake Martin and Travis Brooks gave the Bears a first down on their first possession, pushing the ball out to their 12-yard line.  The momentum was short-lived as three plays later Butler was forced to punt. 
Russellville (RHS) took charge at this point and scored on its second play - a 33-yard run at 9:07.  The point-after-touchdown (P.A.T.) kick was good to give RHS an early 7-0 lead. 
RHS picked an errant BC pass on the Bears' next possession for another quick touchdown at 8:20.  The P.A.T. gave the Panthers a 14-0 lead.

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Butler's Bryce Shanklin returned the ensuing kick-off approximately 45 yards to near mid-field but the Bears were three-and-out.
Despite a RHS 39-yard gain, the Bears' defensive squad stepped up on the Panther's next series.  The Bears' secondary stopped two pass attempts, while the "O" line got in on an impressive team tackle.  Forced to try for a field goal, Shanklin got in front of the ball for the block.

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Walker Weathers picked up 8 yards off tackle for the Bears on first down but that was all the offense the home team could muster.  The Bears punted at 2:52 and then were slapped with a penalty ("horse-collar" tackle) on Russellville's first play. 

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The Panthers found the end zone again at 1:29 in the first.  The P.A.T. made the score 21-0.  Another RHS interception late in the first quarter led to another Panther touchdown early in the second quarter at 11:51. 
Russellville scored again at 8:05 and added another touchdown at 5:49 to put the game out of reach for Butler County at 41-0 as a "running clock" was enacted (margin of 36 required).

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With a running clock the entire second half, neither team scored as the halftime score of 41-0 proved to be the final margin of victory for Russellville. 
Butler County (1-1) will be on the road this Friday, September 13, at Breckinridge County - the Bears first road trip of the season.  Kick-off set for 7 p.m.  The game will be live on WLBQ 1570 AM and streamed on www.beechtreenews.com.  

The following are 2013-14 BC Sports Package Sponsors:

 - Jones Funeral Chapel & Monument Company
 - Morgantown Bank & Trust
 - Hocker Family Insurance
 - Parkway Cars & Tires
 - PBI Bank
 - Final Finish
 - Butler County Farm Bureau Insurance
 - Pizza Zone & Poppy's Place
 - Bluegrass Oral Health
 - Orthopedics Plus Physical Therapy
 - Butler County Board of Education
 - Warren RECC
 - Butler County Drug Free Coalition
 - Butler County Judge-Executive David Fields
 - Tiffany's Tanning
.