Roadrunner crew crushes Laney in Butte’s first home football game of the season 

On September 14, Butte College played their first home football game of the season against Laney.

This matchup, played at a filled-up Cowan Stadium, was the perfect opportunity for the Roadrunners to extend their winning streak, building on their impressive 45 to 17 victory in their season opener at Reedley.

On the other hand, Butte College’s opponent, the Laney Eagles from Oakland, went into the game hoping to turn their season’s tide and get the first win of the semester, as their opener was spoiled by a 44-17 loss to Modesto at home on September 6.

The game began at 1:01 p.m. with the Eagles kicking off, and the Roadrunners’ offense took the field at the 25-yard line.

The game’s opening drive saw Butte College start strong with an impressive 18-yard run by running back Takeshi Faupula.

Faupula’s explosive run was enough to put Butte inside the 10, from which quarterback Marcus Beamon was able to give an Almarc-esque class on how to finish off a perfect opening drive as he topped it off with a perfect touchdown pass to tight end Adon Turner.

After the initial strong start for the mighty Roadrunners, both offenses would go on to struggle on their next two possessions, each going three and out.

Butte College’s first low point of the game came when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from the Roadrunners’ defense set up Laney at the 48, from which Eagle running back Zachary Norton found the space and did a stunning 52-yard run, touching down to tie it all up 7-7.

As big of a blow as a 52-yard running touchdown can be, Butte College was able to keep their focus. Soon after Laney made it all square, the Roadrunners’ response came. With a heroic 65-yard touchdown run from running back Faupula, Butte College was once again in the lead, with the score now 13-7.

Now running against both the clock and a 6-point deficit, the Eagles were able to stun Butte College’s defense right before the end of the quarter when Zachary Norton burst through gaining 25 yards, setting up Laney at the 20-yard line.

However, Laney’s impressive drive was quickly undone as their quarterback Mon Lovett threw an interception to bring the Eagles’ offensive aspirations to a premature end.

In more ways than one, this interception, heroically made by defensive back Aiden Whipple, was one of the game’s most crucial moments, as he basically caught the ball right out of the wide receiver’s hand, and a touchdown at that moment would have tied the whole game up.

Moving on from Whipple’s game-defining moment, Butte College was able to create a very strong drive, which was highlighted by an excellent reception by wide receiver Brandon Smith from Beamon.

Soon after, at the 2, Beamon ran in for the touchdown, making it 20-7 in favor of the Roadrunners.

The remainder of the half was all about defense, with Butte College forcing a 3 and out from Laney with just 2:25 remaining in the quarter.

With about 1:30 remaining in the half, Butte College’s quarterback Marcus Beamon threw an interception that was returned to the 50 by Laney’s John Watts.

Trying to build upon Butte’s mistake, the Eagles began to try and set up a field goal opportunity before half. However, after a loss of two yards and 51 wasted seconds, the team from Oakland decided to instead call a timeout, then punt the ball and let the Roadrunners wind the clock down till half.

The third quarter saw Butte College start very much as they did the first half, with an early touchdown, this time coming after just 1:45 seconds of play.

The Roadrunners’ fourth touchdown came after an impressive drive that was fully focused on taking advantage of Butte’s powerful running game, with running back Niall Raby having all the carries and making the touchdown after this dominant 45-yard drive by the Roadrunners, making the score 27-7.

The rest of the third quarter saw both a showcase of Butte’s defensive resilience and just how much the Eagles were struggling offensively, with the team from Oakland going completely scoreless for the entirety of the third quarter.

The Eagles’ offensive drought lasted for most of the fourth quarter as well. However, it came to an abrupt end when Eagle quarterback Dreyan Paul showed signs of life for the Oakland camp with a well-executed 33-yard rushing touchdown to make it 27-14 for the Roadrunners.

Nearing the end of the game, Laney’s desperation soon began to settle in, and as a result, the Eagles attempted an onside kick and surprisingly were able to recover the ball.

However, in good ol’ Oakland fashion, the Eagles’ happiness was cut short, as timely sacks by Butte College’s D-line backed up Laney to a 4th and 39 situation from which the Eagles were not able to convert.

The last nail in the Eagle-sized coffin, made to order by Dash himself, came in the form of a perfectly taken field goal from Danny Alvarez to make it 30-14.

After Danny’s decisive field goal, the game soon came to a close, and with that, Butte College was able to assertively conquer their second win of the season.

Some of the game’s highlights were Butte College’s running back, Takeshi Faupula, who finished the game with 120 yards gained and a touchdown to his name.

Beyond Takeshi, another fundamental piece in the puzzle that was Butte College’s victory was Butte’s stout defense, specifically their defensive line and secondary. For much of the game, the Laney offensive line seemed overwhelmed by the size of Butte’s D-line.

With 2 sacks and 4 pass breakups, it’s safe to say that the Roadrunner D was way too much for the Eagles to handle.

Moving on from this impressive victory, Butte College will now set its sights on their next game, which will be at San Francisco on Saturday, September 21, at 1:00 p.m.

For Laney, the focus will now be on learning from today’s devastating defeat, as their next game, against Shasta on Friday, September 20, will be the college’s alumni night.

The next home game for the mighty Roadrunners will be on Saturday, September 28, against Modesto. This match will see two teams that beat Laney by a considerable amount facing each other. With everything setting the game against Modesto to be a great one, be sure to come out and support the Roadrunners in what is sure to be a momentous clash.