EAST RUTHERFORD − If David Smith doesn’t get you through the air, he’s bound to get to you on the ground.
That’s been Butler’s dual-threat quarterback’s approach all season and he was at it again in the Bulldogs’ biggest game to date on Oct. 17.
Smith ran for 238 yards and four touchdowns − all in the opening half − to lead the Morris County school to a 42-7 win over Becton in a North Jersey Interscholastic Conference semifinal at Riggin Memorial Field in Bergen County.
Smith was in on five of the Bulldogs six touchdowns and scored on runs of 19, 38, 3 and 4 yards as Butler converted on all four first-half possessions to take a 28-7 lead. He added a 56-yard touchdown pass to CJ Bentley on Butler’s first possession of the second half.
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Now 7-0 on the season, Butler – the defending NJIC champion – will face Rutherford in the title game on Oct. 24 at Tryon Field in Bergen County. Rutherford edged Wood-Ridge, 14-13, in the other semifinal.
“I’ve been training all offseason to be more of a dual-threat quarterback,” Smith said. “I had a great supporting cast last year and they made it really easy for me to drop back and throw. I knew with a lot of change in players and personnel this season, we had to make our game more three dimensional. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Everyone steps up.”
Smith got his team on the board midway through the first quarter when he raced 19 yards to cap an 11-play, 83-yard drive with 7:28 left. He mixed it up with eight running plays and three passing plays to keep the Becton defense off balance. Senior running back Yadi Perez was in on four carries on the drive for 27 yards.
“David is generational. You don’t see kids like David come along in Group 1 programs all the time. David is in line with some of the great small-school quarterbacks that can do it all. It’s been a pleasure and honor to coach him,” Butler coach Jason Luciani said. “We give David options, so when you see him directing traffic at the line that’s him doing what he needs to do. He calls it.”
What it means
Butler advances to its second straight NJIC title game. The two Bulldogs will meet for the first time in history.
Butler has now won 24 of its last 26 games dating back to the 2023 season.
This is the second time this season the Bulldogs defeated Becton. The teams met in the season opener on Sept. 5 in Butler in a 27-6 win.
“We’re pushing through everything. We have our big boys up front that are holding down the line of scrimmage. We have great safeties and corners. We have it all on defense,” Butler linebacker Evan Croker said. “We treated this like any other game. Just because we beat them once before doesn’t mean they can’t come out firing. It was a great week of practice. We just pushed through.”
Smith has thrown for 952 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 1,029 yards and 13 touchdowns so far this season.
Becton – the NJIC Colonial division champion – fell to 5-3.
They said it
“We are one of the better Group 1 programs in the entire state. We’re all honored to play for Butler and wear it on our helmets. With the title comes the culture. We’re a classy team. Football takes us only halfway. We practice life lessons here.” – Smith
“We have a bunch of talented kids running around on this team. The culture has been great. Good kids who also happen to be very good leaders and players. Our coaches have been together for quite a while. So, I think it’s a nice combination of those things. It’s all a reason for our success the last few years. And having David Smith on your team doesn’t hurt.” – Luciani
