Moose Lake Star Gazette - Serving Carlton and Pine Counties Since 1895

Bryceton Butkiewicz from Kettle River is a sophomore at the College of Saint Scholastica and a running back on the Saints football team. Butkiewicz is a MLHS graduate who played 4 sports as a MLWR Rebel. Following playing some NAHL Junior Hockey, Butkiewicz was recruited to play football and enrolled at CSS.

The CSS Saints heavily favor a passing style of football. At the last game of the season versus the MacMurray College Highlanders, the Saints were down 21-7 at the half. The coaching staff decided to change it up a bit in the third quarter and incorporate a bit more running. This is where Butkiewicz's running style, reminiscent of his Rebel days, kicked in. With four 1st down conversions, 42 yds of rushing and a touchdown, Butkiewicz was able to help the Saints get back to within 1 point, 21-20 by the end of the third quarter.

At the start of the fourth quarter the Highlanders' opening drive resulted in a touchdown and a 28-20 lead. With time starting to become an issue, the Saints went back to a passing style and along with two false starts and a sack they ended up having to punt. The Highlanders scored again making it 35-20. For the Saints, having a pass intercepted, getting sacked and having a fumble led to limited offensive opportunities and a 35-20 final score.

The Saints finish with an overall record of 7-3 and 5-3 in the conference. CSS records seven wins for the third time in the last four seasons. The Saints finish in a tie for third place with MacMurray in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).

Butkiewicz finishes the season with 164 rushing yds, 215 receiving yds, and a pair of touchdowns. Besides being a noffensive running back, Butkiewicz played on special teams including kick off, kick return, punt, punt return, extra point, and an emergency offensive line play.