SAFR Football Helmet Covers: Safer Through Science
 
PA Football News Scoreboard powered by Circle W Sports
 
Leading Edge Fundraising
 
 
 

Hickory Explodes Late to Drop Butler 34-18

 
Tagged under: District 10, District 7, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 26, 2026

Butler – Hickory scored touchdowns on all five of their second-half possessions to defeat Butler 34-18 Friday night at Art Bernardi Stadium.

It was a slow start, but as they say, it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. The Hickory Hornets proved that to be true once again.

Despite an ugly opening 24 minutes that saw them trailing 6-0 at intermission, they came out on fire to start the second half en route to their fourth straight victory.

It truly looked like two different teams, as Hickory squandered three first-half scoring opportunities, including a bad snap that resulted in a 21-yard loss on a 29-yard field goal attempt on the game’s initial drive. They also failed to convert on two drives that started in plus territory in the second quarter.

“I don’t know who that football team was in the first half, said Hickory head coach Bill Dungee. “Every time we got something going, it was a penalty or a misalignment, just self-inflicted. The first thing I told them at halftime was to get the negativity out of here. That was the first time all season; even against Westinghouse, I didn’t see any negativity. I told them we’re a great football team, but we need to stop with the mistakes.”

However, beginning in the third quarter, everything changed.

After forcing a punt on Butler’s opening drive, they wasted no time taking their first lead when Dylan Gardner capped a 2-play, 40-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run; his 25-yard gain to start the half was a sign of things to come from Hickory.

Gardner rushed for a game-high 131 yards on 15 carries, with 109 of that coming in the second half in place of Virginia Tech recruit Kelvin Morrison, who is missing his second consecutive game with an injury.

“Shout-out to Dante Evans; he was blocking two, three people moving guys, and Dylan Gardner. I’m so proud of him. He’s a rising sophomore and going to be really good,” Bill Dungee said. “Christian in there too; he was a little down on himself at halftime, but I told him we’re going to be fine. Our guys were ticked off listening to their coach on the radio say that we’re a small school with a bunch of guys going both ways. He saw what Westinghouse did to us and said they expected to win this game, like it was going to be a piece of cake. We felt like we were the better team, and we showed that in the second half.”

The Golden Tornado would respond with a 7-play, 80-yard drive where Deacon Simko caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Will Dunaway that briefly put Butler back in front, 12-7 midway through the third stanza.

Simko caught five passes for 83 yards, while Dunaway completed 14 of 30 passes for 168 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Quarterback Christian Dungee capped off consecutive third-quarter scoring of 54 and 55 yards with touchdown runs of 12 and 8 yards, putting the Hornets ahead for good at 21-12.

Dungee threw only one pass in the second half, but made it count as Jadon Phillips did the rest, taking the short pass 77 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Both Dungee and Phillips had big games for Hickory, as Christian Dungee, like Dylan Gardner, also went over the century mark, rushing for 108 yards on 13 carries and scoring three rushing touchdowns, while completing 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards and a score. Phillips caught six passes for a game-high 116 yards and a touchdown, while intercepting a pass on defense.

“I want to give a shout-out to Dylan Gardner and our offensive line and the greatest quarterback in Mercer County history, Christian Dungee, said Hickory lineman Ja’kyi King-Husband. “We pounded the ball down their throat. They said we didn’t have an offensive line. We have a fresh five up front, but we pounded the ball down their throat, and they couldn’t stop us.”

Hickory’s success largely came from its offensive line, led by seniors King-Husband and Logan Byerly. A unit that has come a long way since the Hornets had to replace nearly everyone up front from last year’s team.

“Hickory football, it’s the standard. Coming out in the second half down 6-0, we told everybody to get their energy together,” King-Husband said. “What drove us was they went on the radio and said we were a small school that didn’t have any talent. That’s what drove us coming into the second half.”

Christian Dungee would put the finishing touches on the contest when he ran 34 yards for a touchdown with just under five minutes to play, extending the lead to 34-12.

“We pride ourselves on our strength and conditioning,” Dungee said. “We stole the launcher from Westinghouse. We love conditioning. Even if we have to stay 15 minutes late, they’re going to do their sprints, perfect eights, and gassers because we feel like we can win in the fourth quarter.”

Butler added their final touchdown of the game in the closing minutes on a 1-yard run from Jacob Kollinger. Kollinger, who ran 60 yards earlier in the third quarter before Simko’s touchdown, ran for a team-high 98 yards on nine carries.

The Golden Tornado had taken a 6-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to Nicco Baggetta returning a punt to the Hornets’ 25-yard line, where two plays later he caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Dunaway.

Both schools will be in action again next Friday night as Hickory hosts Erie, and Butler travels to Hollidaysburg.

Game Highlights

Hickory 34 Butler 18

Score by Quarters

Hickory – 0 0 21 13 – 34

Butler – 6 0 6 6 – 18

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

B – Nicco Baggetta 20 yd pass from Will Dunaway, (kick failed), 1:24 – 2-25

Third Quarter

H – Dylan Gardner 15 yd run, (Callum Darraugh pat), 3:18 – 2-40

B – Deacon Simko 18 yd pass from Dunaway, (pass failed), 5:55 – 7-80

H – Dungee 12 yd run, (Mearlon Peterson from Dungee), 3:18 – 5-54

H – Dungee 8 yd run, (kick blocked), 1:17 – 5-55

Fourth Quarter

H – Phillips 77 yd pass from Dungee, (kick failed), 8:52 – 1-77

H – Dungee 34 yd run, (Darraugh pat), 4:47 – 4-50

B – Jacob Kollinger 1 yd run, (pass failed), 2:55 – 5-54

Individual Stats

Rushing: H – Dylan Gardner 15-131, Christian Dungee 13-108, Jadon Phillips 1-1, Ty Turosky 1-3, Devin James 1-0, Team 1-(-21). Totals: 32-224. B – Kevin Shriver 8-14, Jacob Kollinger 9-98, Deacon Simko 3-19, Baggetta 2-6, Dunaway 4-(-2). Totals: 26-135.

Receiving: H – Phillips 6-116, Mearlon Peterson 1-20, Gardner 1-3, Aamir Ragster 1-6. B – Simko 5-83, Baggetta 3-40, Kollinger 2-25, Shriver 1-10, Patrick Kisoma 1-5, Chase Boden 2-5.

Passing: H – Dungee 8-for-14, 139 yards, 1 TD; Turosky 1-for-1, 6 yards. B – Dunaway 14-for-30, 168 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT.

Interceptions: H – Phillips.

 
 
PA Football News Scoreboard powered by Circle W Sports
 
Showcase by Circle W Sports
 
 
 
x