By Joe Hofmann
The Butler football program has had some legendary quarterbacks in their history such as college-bound QBs Scott Brown (Princeton) and Dan Madine (Fordham).
Current QB David Smith is fast making a case for himself.
After Friday night, Hasbrouck Heights is now a firm believer.
When the going got tough i the key NJIC showdown, the Bergen County visitors couldn’t stop Smith’s arm or his feet.
Whenever Heights threatened Butler, there was Smith standing in their way and holding them back in the Bulldogs wild 43-36 victory.
Smith finished 11 for 14 passing for a touchdown and rushed 27 times for 161 yards and four touchdowns.
Brown and Madine beat you with their throwing arm. Smith beats you with his arm … and his legs.
The Bulldogs led 21-10 at the half, but the spunky Aviators made several spirited attempts to wrestle control of the game – only to be rebuffed by Smith and the Bulldogs.
When Heights scored on Brady Shine’s shocking 80-yard touchdown reception to make it 21-16 early in the third quarter, Smith scored from the 1 to put Butler up, 28-16.
Heights stunned Butler’s home crowd when Michael Napolitano scored on a 7-yard touchdown grab to put the Aviators ahead, 29-28 – but Smith responded with touchdown runs of 20 and 15 yards to make it 43-29.
Heights closed to within 43-36 on Nick Haines’ 36-yard touchdown catch, but the Bulldogs recovered the onsides kick in the closing minute.
And, for good measure, Smith ran out the clock with a first-down run, sealing the victory.
Butler rolled through the NJIC and won North 1, Group 1 last year.
So, what can the Bulldogs do for an encore?
Answer: Go out and win both championships once again.
The playoff pictures are a bit muddled right now, but coach Jason Luciani’s team is right in the thick of things – thanks, in part, to Smith’s efforts.
“Last year, we had a committee of runners,” Luciani said, referring to Smith (706 yards, 6 TDs), Yadi Perez (599 yards, 8 TDs), P.J. Coffey (400 yards, 9 TDs), and Matt Barile (326 yards, 3 TDs).
Perez rushed for 75 yards in the win over Heights but was injured in the second half, which is when Smith took over the game. Smith is now 68 for 385 rushing (8 TDs) and 49 for 74 for 691 yards and 10 TDs passing.
“It’s such a luxury to have David on our team,” Luciani said. “If we need to run the ball we can. If we need to pass, we can.”
Perez, meanwhile, is 79 for 452 with five TDs.
“Yadi had an injury and that is when David asserted himself,” Luciani said.
So did Butler’s O-Line, which is comprised of three-year starter Cole Benicasa, Cristian Franco, Andreas Harilou, two-year starter Tommy Henehan, Peyton Kibburz, and David Santo.
Tight ends Evan Croker, Jayden DiNatale, and Ryder Higbe have been big contributors up front.
They all did what they needed to do against the stubborn Aviators.
“You like to see what the team is made of … what you did to step up and what needs work,” Smith said of the victory. “We battled a lot of adversity. A few guys went down and others stepped up. I’m happy that people stayed level headed.
“We have a rotation and guys mix in at different places. We had guys go down, Franco went down and Santo stepped up. The linemen mixed around positions and they kept executing. It’s all I could ask for.”
Smith’s favorite target against Heights was receiver Nick Parkinson (6 catches, 67 yards, 1 TD).
Smith is a weapon that the entire NJIC knows all about.
“He has the numbers to back it up,” Luciani said. “Coaches meet at the 50 and talk before games. I’m watching the other guys staring at him throwing on our sideline and they’re like, ‘Uh oh!’ Almost always, that is the first comment. It’s true. Then, you watch what he does.”
Smith is one of those types of QBs who makes something out of nothing – or gains big yardage on a play that seemed destined for a big loss.
“Secaucus,” Luciani said. “We were in trouble. We missed a block. A 10-yard sack became a 30 yard gain. That’s David, right there.”
Luciani considered the win over Heights precious because his team had to battle on the way to victory. In many cases last year, the Bulldogs ran away, hid, and were never challenged.
Then when they went up against formidable Cedar Grove in a 52-21 loss in the state Group I semifinals, the Bulldogs didn’t know what hit them. The Hasbrouck Heights win showed that Butler can take a hit and move forward.
“We were able to answer everything … every big punch they gave us,” Luciani said. “We answered. We got a few stops, but I like how they hit an onside kick and we didn’t panic. They tried two more times and we recovered both.”
Butler (5-0 and in first place in the NJIC Meadowlands Division) is a win at New Milford Saturday away from clinching a playoff berth and a chance to defend its title. Heights beat New Milford in an early-season game on Sept. 12, 26-7, which would indicate the Bulldogs are a big favorite this coming weekend.
Butler’s first playoff opponent could well be the Colonial Division’s Becton, who has already been defeated by Butler on Sept. 5, 27-6. (But the NJIC playoff race is a muddled one with several possible scenarios. See below).
Smith has already joined his older brother Evan as a sectional championship QB at Butler (Evan guided the team to the 2018 sectional crown). There is a growing possibility that David Smith becomes only the second Butler QB to earn more than one. Brown guided the team to sectional championships from 1995-97.
The topic has indeed come up in Smith household at the dinner table
Smith laughed.
“There is some competitiveness, ‘I did this, you did that,’” Smith said. “It’s all jokes. He is one of my biggest motivators. He texts me after every game. He is one of my role models next to my coaches.”
It may be time to offer his brother a wager about possibly winning another section.
“I could arrange that,” he said, laughing. “Maybe a nice dinner. Maybe a trip to Chili’s.”
NJIC PLAYOFF SCENARIO
If Garfield defeats Becton on Oct. 10, there will be a three-way tie atop the NJIC Colonial between Becton, Garfield and Lyndhurst with each team going 1-1 against the other two.
The second tiebreaker is power points earned in divisional games. Lyndhurst entered the week with 27 power points, aided by 15 won by defeating Garfield. Becton had 21 power points before beating Lyndhurst. Garfield had 19 power points and would earn 6 more with a defeat of Lodi.
In the event that those points end up tied, the third tiebreaker would be points allowed in divisional games. Lyndhurst and Becton have both allowed 20 points in Colonial division games entering the final week while Garfield has allowed just six points with two games to go.
“There are not a lot of teams playing meaningful games,” Luciani said. “These games all matter. We need to beat New Milford next week, Saturday at 3 o’clock we have to be dialed in and win, or we could be in a three-way tie. Then it comes down to points allowed.”
