VALPARAISO, Ind. — In an exciting finish, Joey Suchy sprinted 36 yards for a touchdown to kick off the fourth quarter, solidifying Butler’s 24-17 victory over Valparaiso on Saturday. This win places the Bulldogs in a three-way tie for second place within the Pioneer Football League.

Butler has improved to an 8-2 overall record and shares a 4-2 mark in league play, now tied with Morehead State and St. Thomas-Minnesota. Notably, Butler previously defeated Morehead State earlier in the season and is set to host St. Thomas this coming Saturday.

The game began with Butler executing a deep 11-play, 80-yard drive during their second series. Nick Howard plunged in from one yard out to establish a lead that the Bulldogs would maintain throughout the contest. Ryan Short contributed to the scoreline with a 41-yard field goal to open the second quarter. The Beacons managed to respond when Caron Tyler connected with Gary Givens III for a 33-yard touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 10-7. Just before halftime, Reagan Andrew added to the Bulldogs’ tally with a one-yard touchdown run, giving Butler a 17-7 advantage at the break. Michael Mansaray later scored for Valparaiso with a five-yard run, closing out the scoring with 7:19 left on the clock.

Quarterback Reagan Andrew had a commendable performance, completing 15 out of 22 passes for a total of 232 yards, with standout receiver Luke Wooten making eight catches for 138 yards. For Valparaiso, Tyler struggled a bit, successfully passing on half of his 16 attempts as the Beacons moved to a 3-6 overall record and 1-4 in conference play.