Butler football players come out of the locker room and high-five their fans before getting ready to take on Westinghouse on Oct. 6 at Art Bernardi Stadium. Westinghouse won 36-7. The Butler Area School District has decided to play an independent football schedule over the next two seasons rather than rejoin WPIAL Class 6A. Brandon Croney/Special to the Eagle

BUTLER TWP — Butler football’s anticipated return to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League has been put on hold.

The Butler Area School District has decided to play an independent football schedule over the next two seasons rather than rejoin WPIAL Class 6A.

The Golden Tornado has played in District 10 the past four seasons, qualifying for the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. Butler finished 2-8 last season.

Butler was scheduled to return to WPIAL football play in 2024.

“We actually decided to go independent about a month ago,” said Bill Mylan, Butler’s athletic director. “It’s the best thing for our program right now. We want our kids to be able to play a competitive schedule so we can continue to grow the program.

“We never emailed the WPIAL to indicate we wanted to be part of the football scheduling this year.”

The Tornado coaching staff held a meeting with players and parents Thursday night, Jan. 11, to inform them of the decision to go independent.

“I heard some clapping in the audience,” said Butler football coach Eric Christy. “People know this is the right move.”

Independent football is exactly how it sounds. The school is not affiliated with any league or district and schedules its own games.

Because there is no district affiliation, there is no opportunity for postseason play.

“We’re not ready to compete for a (WPIAL) playoff spot right now,” Christy said. “We played Seneca Valley, the last-place WPIAL 6A team, last year, and lost 55-0.

“This move is about moving forward, keeping the enthusiasm and our roster numbers up. We want to be at the point where we feel like we can compete for a WPIAL 6A playoff spot. We’re just not there yet.”

Mylan agreed.

“Our season didn’t go the way we would have liked last year,” the athletic director said. “But we’re still taking positive steps.

“We don’t want to take a step backward.”

Mylan plans on Butler football playing a full 10-game schedule next season. Opponents already on the slate include Shaler, Meadville, Allderdice, Westinghouse, Connellsville and Hollidaysburg. Butler hopes to add Brashear as well.

Butler has not reached the WPIAL playoffs since 2012. Its last winning season as a WPIAL member was 1997 and its last WPIAL football playoff victory occurred in 1992.

The Tornado’s football roster numbers at the end of the 2023 season was in the high 50s. Christy estimates the football roster right now to be between 60 and 70.

“Our last year in the WPIAL (2019), we finished the season with 24 kids,” Christy said. “Our goal is to get our numbers up to between 80 and 90 kids.”

Because WPIAL scheduling is done on two-year cycles, Butler football is locked in as an independent for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

“We’ll reevaluate at that point, see where the program stands and go from there,” Mylan said.