Butler QB Cheek nearly perfect in rout of Rocky River
Butler High’s football team celebrated its coach’s birthday Friday night with a near-perfect display of football and by nearly scoring his age.
On Brian Hales’ 43rd birthday, his Bulldogs continued their march toward the Southwestern 4A Conference title by pummeling visiting Rocky River 41-0.
Quarterback Davis Cheek completed all but one of his passes (the miss was dropped), the offense played error-free football, and the defense limited the Ravens to 25 yards of total offense and one first down in the first half.
“I keep telling our guys to strive for perfection, to get a little better each week,” Hales said. “That was a pretty good performance tonight.”
Butler, which has outscored opponents 207-21 the past four games, struggled a bit at the outset but caught its stride late in the first quarter. The Bulldogs, ranked third in the Observer’s Sweet 16, scored four touchdowns in a span of 10 offensive plays and were up 34-0 at halftime.
They nearly scored again before the half but ran out of time with the ball at the Ravens’ 20. The second half started the same way, with Butler driving 70 yards in four plays for its sixth and final touchdown.
The rest of the game featured a running clock, a lot of game time for reserves, and a chance for Hales to figure out how to celebrate his birthday after the game.
He said he is confident his team won’t lose its focus.
“We have a lot of seniors, and they’re good leaders,” Hales said. “They know we can’t afford not to keep working, to keep improving.”
Among that group is Cheek, who completed 17 of 18 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 22 yards for a score.
Quote: “Davis was so sharp tonight. He was on target, his receivers caught everything and he had good blocking.” – Hales, on Davis Cheek.
Records: Rocky River is 4-5, 2-2; Butler is 8-1, 4-0.
Worth mentioning: Cheek’s only incompletion came late in the first half. With a huge lead, he only threw two passes after halftime. … If all that wasn’t enough, Cheek (an Elon commit) punted three times for a healthy 38-yard average. … Devin Smith, a 245-pound offensive lineman, got in the act. He caught a 6-yard touchdown pass on a tackle-eligible play in the second quarter. “We last used that play four years ago,” Hales said. … Butler celebrated the school’s 20th anniversary Friday, with a morning pep rally and a campus visit by several Carolina Panthers players. … Butler had 353 yards of total offense at halftime and finished with 485 yards, to 110 for Rocky River.
What’s Next: Rocky River is idle next Friday and will play Oct. 28 at Independence; Butler will play next Friday at Porter Ridge.
This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Butler QB Cheek nearly perfect in rout of Rocky River."