PHILIP - It had been 10 years since Sully Buttes went to the semifinals of Class 9A football.

That all changed Monday night as the Chargers made a dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter to edge Philip, 22-18, in the second round of the playoffs.

"It has been a long time coming for us," said Sully Buttes head coach Mark Senftner, "I can't say enough for these kids. Our seniors are awesome and they deserve this right now."

Sully Buttes wasted no time getting on the scoreboard Monday night as it charged downfield on the first drive via the running game. However, a stingy Philip defense stopped them on fourth down, taking over on downs. But the Scotties fumbled on their second play from scrimmage, and two plays later, Sully Buttes found the end zone courtesy of a 15-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Handcock to Tate Senftner.

In what would become the theme of the night, Philip bounced back on the next drive going 58-yards on 12 plays and taking almost six minutes off the clock. Quarterback Jeb Stewart hooked up with Tate Guptill on a jump ball for a 31-yard score. Philip failed on the two-point conversion making the score 8-6.

Philip took the lead into halftime, 12-8, after going on a 10-play 60-yard touchdown drive. Andrew Brech capped the drive with a 16-yard scamper.

After scoring in the first quarter, the Sully Buttes offense struggled going three-and-out on their next four drives. But late in the third quarter on third-and-long, Handcock found a wide open Senftner for a 36-yard strike to revitalize the offense. Then on fourth down deep in Scottie territory, Handcock hit Ryan Yackley on a screen pass for a crucial first down. Two plays later, Caleb Kemink scored on a 3-yard run for a 14-12 lead.

"Those passing plays were huge," said Handcock. "We made some adjustments at halftime, and I was fortunate to hit some open guys."

On the ensuing drive, the Scotties again answered. Stewart took a quarterback sweep down the Sully Butte sideline for a 60-yard score and only seconds after losing the lead Philip was back on top 18-14 with 10:25 left in the game.

However, Sully Buttes had one last gasp left in the tank again via the passing game. Handcock found Senfter for a 35-yard play which left them on the Philip 1-yard line. Despite a goal line stand from Philip, Kemink put the game away when he punched in his second score with just 3:45 left.

Philip finishes the season at 6-4, while Sully Buttes is 6-4.