Butler's image wasn't enhanced by the people who traveled to the Knoch-Seneca Valley football game Sept. 25 at Knoch, apparently with the primary objective of starting a fight.

The fight didn't actually occur at the game. It took place at the nearby outdoor basketball court and, according to police, involved about 30 to 40 people.

There were several injuries, and charges were filed against a number of participants from both sides of the melee.

Instead of going to Knoch to fight, the Butler group should have focused its sights on the more positive objective of supporting Butler High School's football team.

But those people prefer fighting over enjoying a game; it would be better if they continued to stay away — from Butler's and anyone else's games.

The Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School football team had a 35-game losing streak going into Friday night's game against Punxsutawney High. When the game ended, that streak had grown to 36 in a row.With a record like that, some teams would be beset by low morale or a desire to give up — but not the current group of A-C Valley players. They have maintained a strong commitment to their school and their task on the gridiron, despite the knowledge deep down that their team probably wouldn't manage a win and bring an end to the unbroken string of losses dating back to Oct. 7, 2005. Friday's score was 40-0."If we don't come, the program would die," said senior Justin Loll.That attitude also was voiced by senior Cullen McNany: "We keep coming to keep a team here."McNany added that "with the amount of people trying to get rid of the football organization around here, it is very important for us to keep coming back."Unfortunately, coming back has subjected members of the team to ridicule by A-C Valley classmates, who senior quarterback Michael Orrvick described as being "very negative toward us."That's not what school spirit is supposed to be all about, and A-C Valley students — and even the adults who are down on the football program — should rethink their attitude and the possible ramifications, like losing a valuable community pastime and source of unity and spirit.For team members over the past four years, the losing streak has taught an important lesson that more-successful teams don't get to experience — learning to deal with adversity. But adversity is a fact of life, especially during adulthood.A-C Valley players already know something about adversity as a result of what they've experienced."We go out there and play our hearts out," said senior Brandon McFall. They should continue to do that, regardless of the course that the rest of this season takes.The fact is, this year's A-C Valley Falcons have a winning record in terms of how they've handled themselves amid the team's ongoing difficulties. Other teams with much-less-trying circumstances should heed the lesson from this group of young men.

Texting and, to a slightly lesser degree, talking on a cell phone, is the new drunken driving. And President Barack Obama is right to be moving the federal government into a lead position to help reduce highway deaths and injuries related to cell phone texting while driving.On Wednesday, Obama signed an executive order banning all federal employees from texting while driving when on government business. The Department of Transportation is expected to follow up with similar rules banning such behavior by interstate truckers and limiting the use of electronic devices by train operators.The big push to stop texting while driving is based, in part, on common sense — it's dangerous for a driver to take his or her eyes off the road to read a message or push buttons on a phone to send a text message. Supporting the obvious conclusion, highway statistics reveal the deadly consequences of texting while driving or, more broadly, distracted driving. Federal transportation officials say that 5,780 people died last year in crashes where a distracted driver was a reported cause. Beyond these fatalities, 515,000 people were injured in accidents involving a distracted driver last year.Already, 18 states ban texting while driving. And a bill in the Senate would encourage states that have not yet outlawed texting while driving to do so, or risk losing 25 percent of their highway funding.The Obama administration appears to be taking seriously the dangers of texting while driving. Its efforts should help bring about a cultural shift that views texting while driving as dangerous, just as dangerous and irresponsible as driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs.