Butler football returning to WPIAL
BUTLER TWP — Butler football’s court battle with the PIAA is over.
The Golden Tornado have agreed to rejoin the WPIAL in football in 2024, as part of a settlement of pending litigation with the PIAA. Terms of that settlement also include Butler remaining in District 10 for the 2023 season and staying eligible for postseason play, along with participation in the PIAA’s next Strategic Planning Committee meeting. That meeting is yet to be scheduled.
The PIAA’s next classification cycle begins next year. Butler had been informed that District 7 (WPIAL) and District 10 will no longer approve the Golden Tornado to participate in PIAA District 10 football at that time. That is their prerogative under the PIAA bylaws.
Faced with the options of going through the court system to get that move overturned, play an independent football schedule or rejoin the WPIAL in 2024, Butler decided on the latter.
Butler’s last WPIAL football season was in 2019. The Tornado were winless in 2018 and 2019, concluding the latter season with 28 healthy players. Through the past three seasons in District 10, Butler won 11 games and qualified for the District 10 playoffs the past two years.
Butler had 60 players on its football roster — grades 10 to 12 — in 2022.
“While I’m confident we could win another court battle on this, nothing is guaranteed, and we don’t want to put our kids through that process again,” said Brian White, superintendent of the Butler Area School District. “Through this settlement, we are able to join that (Strategic Planning Committee) meeting and make a proposal about reclassification.”
The PIAA has a competitive clause in its bylaws that a team that constantly performed well can be moved up a classification.
“But there is no inverse of that,” White said. “There’s been no case of a team dropping down in classification for competitive purposes. We’d like to address that and make a proposal. They can accept it or refuse it. That’s up to them. We just want to be heard.”
Butler athletic director Bill Mylan pointed out that one school is winless in its last 68 WPIAL section soccer games.
“Soccer, volleyball, whatever, if a school, is struggling to stay competitive in one sport, it should have the opportunity to move to a more competitive situation and rebuild,” Mylan said. “That’s what this proposal is about.”
Mylan said it was always Butler’s intent to return to WPIAL football, “but this is a little sooner than I would have liked. I’d prefer another couple of years in District 10 just to make sure our program was on more solid ground.
“This is the way it turned out, and we will move forward. We’ve still played high-level opponents the past few years. The difference is now we’ll be playing five or six of those a year,” he said.
“We’re certainly not on the level of a North Allegheny or Central Catholic right now, but our program is stronger. Our roster numbers are back up, and we’re headed in the right direction. We’re much more competitive.”
Beginning with the 2024 reclassification cycle, the PIAA will be counting 100% of vo-tech students as part of a school’s enrollment figure. It previously counted only 10%.
That won’t affect Butler’s status as a Class 6A football school. It could affect others.
“I can see more schools moving up to 6A as a result of this,” White said. “Schools on the bubble in terms of classification — Norwin, Shaler, for example — could be bumped up. WPIAL Class 6A in 2024 may not be the same WPIAL 6A we left a few years ago.”
Butler football coach Eric Christy does not place any more emphasis on the 2023 season, knowing it will be the Tornado’s last in District 10.
“District 10 has been great to us,” the coach said. “We’ve enjoyed working with those schools and those programs, a lot of first-class people. It’s been a tremendous relationship.
“Our program continues to progress. Regardless of where we’re playing or who we’re playing, I expect that will continue.”
In a letter addressed to Butler football parents, White started that “we now need to continue to develop the culture of our (football) program.”
As part of that, he disclosed that a number of anonymous donors have pledged $37,500 to update weight room equipment.
“Some of the equipment in our weight room was there when I played,” said Christy, a 1999 Butler graduate. “Some of that equipment is breaking. This is needed. It’s going to benefit everyone.”
Mylan agreed.
“All of our athletes will benefit from new weight room equipment,” Mylan said. “We’re viewing this whole thing as a positive. We’re taking a step forward.”
