Beech Tree News Network

A dedicated crew of Butler County football fans braved the rain on Friday night to see their Bears notch a well-deserved 14-0 win over the visiting Grayson County Cougars.  Although the score was relatively close, Butler County seemed to dominate much of the contest as the Bears' defensive squad turned in a stellar performance in keeping a potent Grayson County offense, led by quarterback Talon Gary, out of the end zone.  

After stopping Grayson on its initial possession, Butler County started with good field position - a theme of the night - and took advantage of it.  Carries by quarterback Bryce Shanklin and completions from Shanklin to receivers Jake Martin and Walker Weathers pushed the ball close to the Grayson County end zone.  Facing a third-and-goal at the 3-yard line, Shanklin connected with Kory Johnson for the touchdown at 6:53.  Martin's P.A.T. kick was good, giving the Bears an early 7-0 lead.  

Following the touchback on the ensuing kick, Grayson picked up a couple of first downs - one on a 24-yard run by Gary - before being forced to punt.  

Butler threatened to score on its next possession and completed a pair of key third down conversions on Shanklin to Matt Moore pass completions but the Bears' offense faltered short of the end zone.

Neither team got much traction on their next possessions but a Rex Henderson interception with 8:17 left the first half gave the Bears an excellent scoring opportunity.  Behind a solid offensive line, Shanklin found Moore across the middle on third down to push the ball deep into Grayson territory.  Poised to score, the Bears were first-and-goal at the 9-yard line.  But, the Coungar defense was able to sack Shanklin twice and stop the Bears on fourth down.  

Tackles by Shanklin, Trent Cox, Jake Martin, and Dakota Merrick halted the Cougars' next drive .  The Bears' defense forced another Grayson punt with two minutes left in the half, giving the home team one more chance to score.  New quarterback Jimmy Burns connected with Martin and Zeke Woodcock on multiple pass completions as time was quickly running out in the first half.  A pass from Burns to Matt Moore took the ball to inside the Cougar 5-yard line.  With five ticks left on the first-half clock, a Burns pass across the middle fell incomplete.  Butler took a 7-0 lead into the half.  

The second half proved to be much like the first.  Butler County moved the ball plenty but the end zone proved elusive.  The Bears punted on its first possession of the second half.  Grayson's Gary scrambled for 16 yards to get a first down for the Cougars but they were forced to punt a few plays later.  

With 5:53 left in the third quarter, Butler attempted a 25-yard field goal from the left hash but the Jake Martin kick was blocked.  Grayson went three-and-out on its next possession.  

Starting at mid-field, B.C.H.S. head coach Ryan Emmick apparently decided that this game was going to have to be won on the ground.  With quarterback Bryce Shanklin back in the game, he rushed three times for over 20 yards.  Then, on second-and-two, Travis Brooks exploded for a 23-yard gain to the Cougar 2-yard line.  Shanklin took the ball across the goal line on the next play with 1:37 left in the third.  Martin's kick made the score 14-0. 

Turnovers plagued the Cougars the rest of the way as a fumble late in the third quarter and another Rex Henderson interception in the fourth seemed to seal the fate of Grayson County.

Butler County (3-1) held on for the 14-0 win in a game that didn't seem that close.  Grayson County dropped to 2-3 on the season.  The Bears will be back in action next Friday night, September 27, in its first district game of the season at Owensboro Catholic.  Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.

GC        0    0    0    0        0

BC        7    0     7    0       14

Selected Game Stats (unofficial):

First Downs:  BC 14; GC 8

Rushing Yards:  BC 109; GC 124

Passing:  BC 19 for 40, 146 yards; GC 6 for 19, 32 yards

Punts/Average:  BC 7, 37-yard average (Jake Martin); GC 9, 27-yard average

Fumbles/Lost:  BC 0-0; GC 4-2

Penalties/Yards:  BC 7/60 yards; GC 7/65 yards.

Time of Possession:  BC 25:59; GC 22:01

BryceShanklin-66 rushing yards; 7/15 passing for 50 yards

Travis Brooks 37 yards rushing

Jimmy Burns 12/25 passing for 96 yards

Talon Gary (GC):  6/17 passing for 32 yards; 13 carries for 62 yards

Receiving:

Matt Moore, 5 for 70 yards 

Jake Martin, 7 for 37 yards

Walker Weathers, 2 for 18 yards

Zeke Woodcock, 1 for 12 yards

BC Tackles (26):  Rex Henderson 4, Trent Cox 4, Travis Brooks 1, Connor Reed 3, Jacob Courtenay 4, Bryce Shanklin 2, Jake Martin 3, Drake Embry 2.5, Payton Bratcher .5,  Dakota Merrick 1, Cody White 1.    

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This sports coverage is brought to you by the sponsors of the 2013-14 BC Sports Package with WLBQ/BtN. We are grateful for their continued support of Butler County student-athletes.

 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

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- Story by John Embry; photos by Diane Dyer -  BtN/WLBQ.