ERIE — It didn’t go how Butler would have liked. Yet, it beat the alternative.

In a 62-7 defeat, the Golden Tornado watched McDowell pin up scores on its first five possessions and return the opening kickoff of the second half for a score in Friday’s District 10 Class 6A gridiron title game.

It was the Trojans’ fifth consecutive district crown. They’ve brought home eight of the last nine.

Butler coach Eric Christy embraced his departing seniors on the field after the stands had cleared and Erie Veterans Stadium had fallen quiet. Smiles after hugs contrasted from the tears in players’ puffy eyes.

“When you put that much time and effort into them, it’s hard to see them go,” he said. “It’s like sending your kids off to college … It’s always a hard last game. They’re always the worst.”

Being able to compete after the clash was in question for most of the week made this one at least a smidge better.

“All those complications, maybe it was a factor, maybe it wasn’t,” quarterback Mac Schnur said. “It was so nice being able to get that text last night and the excitement that everybody had in the group chat and everything. We had one more game together and we could soak it in, win or loss.

“I was happy to at least get that.”

That memory is important to Schnur and his fellow seniors, who helped better the team the past couple of years after it went a combined 2-14 from 2019-20.

“I’m going to miss everybody here,” said senior Dashawn Cox, who ran for a team-high 89 yards on the night. “I made a family. Everybody works hard, they give their all, and I’m just never going to forget it.”

Early on, working out of a five-wide spread look, the Golden Tornado attack appeared to have the tools to make it a tight matchup. It faced a 3rd-and-14 from their own 26 yard-line on its second touch, but Schnur’s connection with junior Braylon Littlejohn on a post route moved them to the doorstep of the red zone.

Schnur hit Landon Lacey for the team’s lone points of the night on the following snap.

McDowell’s Artis Simmons’ second touchdown of the night came a minute and a half after that. It could have been because the Trojans were zeroed in that they tacked on five scores on the ground in the just over 15 minutes in.

“We went in Sunday and prepared for Butler,” McDowell coach Bo Orlando said. “We really didn’t talk about it during the week, even though there was so much on the outside.

“They (the Golden Tornado) deserved to be in. You shouldn’t take a game away from the kids.”

Butler’s shorthanded situation on the defensive line contributed to its opponent’s running exhibition.

“We knew going in that we were down,” Christy said. “We had three linemen going out there with the front. We did that because you have to rotate guys and get them in. We were down bodies already and we were trying to get the guys who were prepared to play.

“They found it. It didn’t take them long to figure out what we were doing. They hit it, then they hit it often.”

Sophomore Stephon Porter went 75 yards on the boot that began the third quarter, widening the gap to 42-7.

“We kept the momentum and pulled away there in the second quarter,” Orlando said. “We did what we did in the first half to get the big lead and continue there early in the second half.”

It was the second year in a row that the programs had met with the crown up for grabs. Because of the efforts of several individuals, including Butler Area School District superintendent, Dr. Brian White, the team was granted the experience this time around.

“It showed that the (school) district fights and cares,” Christy said. “It matters to them. It mattered to these guys, too.”

“I’m just so proud of the seniors this year and, obviously, the seniors last year,” Schnur added. “We did go to District 10, but we changed the culture around Butler and the communities around us. That’s just not something that we had before.

“Numbers are up, obviously, and it’s just great to see the community get around the guys again.”

Butler 7 0 0 0 — 7

McDowell 21 14 14 13 — 62

First Quarter

M — Artis Simmons 38 run (Alex Sontheimer kick), 11:07

B — Landon Lacey 21 pass from Mac Schnur (Max Gianneski kick), 10:01

M — Simmons 2 run (Sontheimer kick), 8:32

M — Simmons 2 run (Sontheimer kick), 1:52

Second Quarter

M —Ray Jackson 34 run (Sontheimer kick), 11:43

M — Javarie Blue 12 run (Sontheimer kick), 8:54

Third Quarter

M — Stephon Porter 75 kick return (Sontheimer kick), 11:42

M — Ben Moore 24 run (Sontheimer kick), 2:43

Fourth Quarter

M —Porter 17 run (errant snap on kick), 11:00

M — Blayze Myers 1 run (Ashton Sontheimer kick), 2:28

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Butler, Dashawn Cox 8-89, Braylon Littlejohn 6-40, Jun-Jun Andrada 1-5, David Graef 1-2, Landon Lacey 1-1, Mac Schnur 6-(-17). McDowell, Artis Simmons 11-99, Ben Moore 9-57, Eric Neavins 8-44, Ray Jackson 2-41, Stephon Porter 3-37, Javarie Blue 1-12, Blayze Myers 1-1, TEAM 2-(-5).

Passing: Butler, Mac Schnur 12-28-157-2, Braylon Littlejohn 0-1-0-0. McDowell, Ben Moore 7-12-122-0, Blayze Myers 1-1-23-0.

Receiving: Butler, Braylon Littlejohn 5-99, Dashawn Cox 4-26, Landon Lacey 2-26, Jun-Jun Andrada 1-6. McDowell, Ray Jackson 2-51, Gavin Magorien 1-23, Nicholas DeSanto 1-18, Richard Gladden 1-18, Andrew Pilatowski 1-16, Christian Santiago 1-11, Jackson Johns 1-8.