Glacier subdues stubborn Butte 48-38

Butte made Glacier earn this one.

Easton Kauffman had a 60-yard pick six and Kobe Dorcheus ran for three touchdowns as the Wolfpack advanced to the Class AA football semifinals with a 48-38 victory over the Bulldogs Friday at Legends Stadium. 

Dorcheus finished the night with 135 yards on 18 carries, though he was bottled up early by the Butte defense. 

“It was a completely different gameplan from what they ran against us last time, we were not expecting that,” Dorcheus said. “We got together as a group and we fixed it up, we talked and encouraged each other.” 

The new look helped the Bulldogs stifle the Wolfpack offense early as Jackson Presley fumbled on the first offensive snap, turning it over. 

“They threw everything at us, and they really had us on our heels on both sides of the ball,” Glacier coach Grady Bennett said. “They changed up defensively and went to a different front and had us on our heels the whole game.” 

Kauffman jumped on a pass from Colton Shea during Butte’s first possession of the game to give Glacier an early advantage. 

“I was playing cover 4 and I thought he was going to throw it deep, but the quarterback threw it early on the comeback and I just saw the ball come into my hands,” Kauffman said.   

Glacier’s defense held on Butte’s second drive — limiting the Bulldogs to a field goal — but Karson Pumnea gave the visitors a 10-7 lead with his first touchdown of the day, a 1-yard carry. 

Dorcheus found the end zone for the first time on Glacier’s next possession on a direct snap from 2 yards out; a missed PAT left it 13-10. 

Pumnea answered on the next drive finding paydirt for the second time, this one a 3-yard carry to put Butte back in front 17-13. Pumnea finished the night with 79 yards on 25 rushes and caught five passes for 15 yards. He had three scores in total. 

Jackson Presley got his arm going in the second quarter, finding Bridger Smith for a 68-yard gain, then finding him again on the next play for a 7-yard touchdown to make it 20-17 Glacier. Smith had five catches for 86 yards. 

Butte had an opportunity to tie the game at 20 late in the first half, but a 28-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned by Carson Baker — who looked like he was going for a touchdown. Raeder Grey said otherwise as he tracked down Baker to prevent the TD, but was called for a horse collar tackle, giving the Wolfpack one untimed down to finish the half. 

“I’m going to use that play as an example of never quitting,” Bennett said. “He chases him down on the one ... but that play maybe changes the game — it was a 10-point difference.” 

Glacier took advantage as Presley followed his line into the end zone giving the Wolfpack a 27-17 halftime lead. 

Presley — who finished the game 11 of 16 for 184 yards and two touchdowns — threw an interception on the first drive out of the half, setting Butte up in plus territory. The Bulldogs capitalized as Colton Shea found Pumnea on a 7-yard pitch-and-catch for the touchdown, cutting the lead to 27-24. 

Presley answered back on the next drive as he found Cooper Pelc for a 32-yard touchdown to restore the 10-point lead. 

Dorcheus extended that lead to 41-24 after taking a direct snap 12 yards to the endzone for his second of the game. 

Shea wasn’t done though, as he found Hudson Luedtke for a 24-yard touchdown on the next drive. Shea finished the game 29-for-43 for 324 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked six times by the Wolfpack defense. 

Luedtke caught 12 passes for 175 yards — both game highs — and two touchdowns. 

Dorcheus continued his strong second half as he found the endzone for a third time on a 46-yard carry to put Glacier up 48-31. 

“Once we figured out what they were running, a little 5-2, they didn’t want us to run it outside, and we took it to them,” Dorcheus said, 

Shea and Luedtke connected one more time midway through the fourth quarter, but Glacier’s defense held up late and the Wolfpack advanced to Friday’s semifinals. 

Glacier will travel to Bozeman to take on the Gallatin Raptors in a rematch from last season’s semis. 

Butte    10    7    7    14    -    38 

Glacier    7    20    14    7    -    48 

G — Easton Kauffman 60 interception return (Kyle Smith kick), 9:37 1Q 

B — Bradley Doyle 28 kick, 5:36 1Q 

B — Karson Pumnea 1 run (Doyle kick), 2:50 1Q 

G — Kobe Dorcheus 2 run (kick failed), 10:58 2Q 

B —  Pumnea 3 run (Doyle kick), 3:52 2Q 

G — Bridger Smith 7 pass from Jackson Presley (Smith kick), 2:52 2Q 

G — Presley 1 run (Smith kick), 0:00 2Q 

B — Pumnea 7 pass from Colton Shea (Doyle kick), 7:16 3Q 

G — Cooper Pelc 32 pass from Presley (Smith kick) 4:03 3Q 

G — Dorcheus 12 run (Smith kick), 1:13 3Q 

B — Hudson Luedtke 24 pass from Shea (Doyle kick), 9:14 4Q 

G — Dorcheus 46 run (Smith kick), 7:08 4Q 

B — Luedtke 10 pass from Shea (Doyle kick), 6:09 4Q 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS 

RUSHING: Butte (43-105) — Karson Pumnea 25-79, Colton Shea 11-11, Hudson Luedtke 3-10, Burke McGruder 3-4, Jacob Galle 1-1. Glacier (28-129) — Kobe Dorcheus 18-135, Carson Baker 1-2, Bryson Marshall 1- minus 4, Jackson Presley 7- minus 4. 

PASSING: Butte — Colton Shea 29-43-2 for 324 yards. Jackson Presley 11-16-1 for 184 yards. 

RECEIVING: Butte — Hudson Luedtke 12-175, Karson Pumnea 5-15, Raeder Grey 3-27, Sam Sampson 3-25, Kaleb Celli 2-27, Karsen McEwen 2-6, Torre Tempel 1-38, Cayde Stajcar 1-11. Glacier — Bridger Smith 5-89, Easton Kauffman 2-41, Cooper Pelc 2-36, Matthew Junk 1-14, Carson Baker 1-4. 

    Glacier defensive back Easton Kauffman (19) returns an interception 55 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter against Butte during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier takes the field before their matchup with Butte in the Class AA playoffs at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier quarterback Jackson Presley (12) completes a pass to wide receiver Cooper Pelc (8) in the first quarter against Butte during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier wide receiver Easton Kauffman (19) is stopped short of the goaline by Butte defensive back Torre Tempel (19) in the second quarter during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier running back Kobe Dorcheus (33) heads to the end zone on a 46-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against Butte during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier wide receiver Bridger Smith (1) runs during a 68-yard reception in the second quarter against Butte in a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Butte running back Karson Pumnea (11) celebrates after a touchdown run in the second quarter against Glacier during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier defenders Grady Robinson (7) and Asher Knopik (11) bring down Butte wide receiver Hudson Luedtke (8) after a reception in the fourth quarter during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier wide receiver Easton Kauffman (19) pulls down a reception in the third quarter against Butte against Butte during a Class AA playoff game at Legends Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider