Elijah O'Neal, Football

Sophomore outside linebacker Elijah O'Neal is the Butte Athletics September 22 Male Athlete of the Month.

In September, sophomore outside linebacker Elijah O'Neal was a quarterback's nightmare as he was Butte's best pass rusher. He was named the NCFC National Division Defensive Player of the Week for Week 3 after he tallied 12 total tackles - nine solo - in the upset of No. 1 San Francisco. Of those 12 tackles, he earned five sacks for 33 yards and seven total TFL for 36 yards and a forced fumble.

Additionally against CCSF, he caused a safety, marking only the second team in the state to force a safety this season

In four games, he earned 33 total tackles (25 solo), 12 sacks for 81 yards, 15 tackles for loss for 85 yards. Overall, he averages 8.3 tackles per game.

He led the team to a 3-1 record in September and he currently leads the state in sacks (12), second for sack yards (81), third for solo tackles (25), and 10th for tackles (33). Additionally, his stats help Butte post top state numbers - the Roadrunners are second in sacks (24) and ninth in least amount of passing yards per game (156.8).