Patriots junior runningback Brennan Wack took the first play of the game 70 yards for a score on a delayed handoff- making for no delay before Park got on the board for the first of six Patriot touchdowns.

“They came out and hit us quick, scored on the first play of the game,” Butler head coach Eric Christy said. “We got kind of shell-shocked on that play- the defense has played really well all year, they’ve been great, so it was just kind of one of those things. Then we try and come back and answer, didn’t quite get back what we needed to early on. They had a great team, a great game plan for us. We kept fighting, kept battling, but they had a good answer for us tonight.”

Wack finished with three touchdowns, turning seven handoffs into 145 yards. The Patriots star also had three catches for 64 yards, doing all his damage in the first half before sitting the second half along with most of Park’s starters.

Wack’s immediate explosion set the tone for the night.

“We’ve kind of been slow-starters all year long,” Wheeling Park head coach Chris Daugherty said. “We’d been talking about starting fast- we definitely did that tonight, and we reaped the benefit of it. We got a little mojo early, and we were able to ride that emotion a little bit.

“Credit to the kids, they executed everything that we talked about. I thought offensively, we got back on-track a little bit, and we had some special teams plays that really helped.”

There were no fewer than four standout special teams plays Friday- the first of which led to Park’s second score of the first quarter. Facing a fourth-and-one from their own 48, Park sent out the punt team, with senior tight end/linebacker Jameson Maynard back for the kick.

Instead of kicking though, Maynard ran- 52 yards to the house.

It was one of two touchdowns for Maynard, the senior also reeling in a 63-yard touchdown catch after a throw on the run by quarterback Jay Bordas midway through the second quarter.

The second big special teams play for Park came early in the second quarter, the Patriots punt coverage unit applying enough pressure to Butler punter Alex Fulmer for the junior to tuck and run, but not far enough to move the chains.

On their first play back with the ball, Wack ran through a litany of arm tackles 30 yards to the end zone.

Wheeling Park also blocked an extra point and blocked a punt deep in Butler’s own territory in a banner day for Patriot special teams.

“We work on that stuff,” Daugherty said. “That doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen, but you keep working on those things. It was nice to see kids who had worked all year long, and our coaches who put time into coaching special teams, to see that pay off. That’s what we talk about- give great energy on that side of the ball too. Don’t just play offense or play defense; play special teams. Tonight we did that.

“We played hard, and we were able to make some plays on that side. I think all year long our special teams have done really well, and it helped kick-start our offense and our defense too.”

Butler battled their way onto the board with 7:37 to play in the second quarter, the Golden Tornado’s Marcus Vicari hauling in a back-shoulder reception for a 19-yard touchdown. Vicari had two catches for 24 yards Friday. His yardage total was second to Evan Reinsel, who had a 27-yard reception in the fourth quarter. After the blocked extra point, Park led 21-6.

Maynard’s long touchdown catch-and-run extended Park’s lead, and after the blocked punt, it wasn’t long before Bordas threw his second touchdown of the game, throwing a dart over the middle of the field after breaking a sack and rolling out of the pocket. The throw went eight yards to junior Kolin Wiley.

Bordas totaled 223 yards through the air with two touchdowns and one interception on a ball the sophomore sent into the end zone with 10 seconds left in the first half. Vicari came down with the pick for Butler.

Wiley was Park’s leading receiver with five catches for 75 yards and a score.

“We’ve seen growth,” Daugherty said of his offensive cast of characters. “We’ve had to replace our quarterback and our top two receivers, and we’ve seen growth in practice, and so you know it’s just a matter of time before they do it on Friday night.

“Kolin did some things tonight that we’d seen in practice and we’re seeing him do it on Fridays. Same with Jay, Jay executed at a level that we’d seen in practice, and it was time to do that in a game. Credit to both of those kids. I thought ODH (Owen Dobrzynski-Hines) continued to be steady-eddy, and Cazh Campbell has really come on in practice. That might not have showed today but he’s another one who just continues to get better and better.”

Butler sent a snap over their punter’s head for a safety with five minutes to go in the second quarter, and Wack got the edge outside for a 36-yard touchdown to give Park a 38-point halftime lead.

Park played almost exclusively second-string in the second half- Bordas stayed on the field to hand off to Nate Hodge in the third quarter before bowing out for freshman QB Jonah Hardaway in the fourth.

Butler’s Mark Klemz ran in a 33-yard score in the third quarter, and the Golden Tornado’s Jacob Kollinger scored from one yard out in the fourth. Klemz finished with 76 yards rushing while Kollinger had 79 yards on the ground.

Park’s AJ Seals nailed a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter while going 6-6 on extra points.

Park (5-3) hits the road next week, traveling to Oxford Ohio to play Talawanda (3-6). Butler (4-5) returns home for their season finale against Central Clarion (8-0).