The North Platte Panthers marked a grand opening to the 2025 football season with a 40-32 overtime road victory against Butler on Friday, Aug. 29.
The back-and-forth contest ended with a game-ending interception by Logan Manville in overtime following a go-ahead 20-yard touchdown run by sophomore Johnny McCracken.
North Platte went down 8-0 in the first quarter, but McCracken bulldozed through six defenders to get the visitors on the board with a 65-yard touchdown carry before the Panthers converted the two-point try. Butler fought their way back to take a 16-8 lead after the first quarter.
The Panthers answered in the second quarter by a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dylan Armstrong. After not seeing good options to his right, Armstrong rolled to his left and found Manville wide open for a touchdown reception.
Trailing 24-16 at halftime, Armstrong used his legs for the next two scores in the third quarter, running one in from three yards out to help the Panthers draw level and another from six yards out to take a 32-24 lead.
North Platte’s defense edged closer and closer to a win in regulation — forcing a turnover on downs in the final three minutes — but a blocked punt was returned for a touchdown, allowing Butler to tie it up 32-32 in the final 30 seconds.
McCracken opened overtime with a bang for North Platte, running the ball through the middle for a 22-yard go-ahead touchdown carry. On Butler’s possession, Manville read the underthrown pass and intercepted it before sliding down to secure the victory.
McCracken ended the game with 113 yards on nine rushes along with a pair of two-point conversions. On defense, McCracken also made 12 tackles while Aspen Large led the team with 13 tackles and a sack.
North Platte will look for its second consecutive win on Friday, Sept. 5, when it hosts Milan in Dearborn.