Continuity means a lot — especially when trying to build and maintain a successful high school football program.

It’s no secret to anyone that the Butler High School football program has been lacking in that regard.

When Rob Densmore resigned with two weeks remaining in the 2017 season, that all too familiar question was raised again in regards to this program.

What happens now?

The Golden Tornado have had nine head coaches — 10 if you choose to include interim head coach Eric Christy for the final two games this year — in the past 25 years. None of those coaches were at the helm longer than five years.

Some resigned. Others were forced out. Either way, the coaching carousel has gone on and on.

Only one of those nine guys had a winning record here. Bill Bohren was 6-5 in 1993 — his only year in Butler.

Bohren started that coaching carousel. Before him, Butler had three head coaches over 46 years. A.G. Cappezutti was at the helm for 13 seasons, Art Bernardi was on the job for 26, Tim Nunes for seven.

Continuity.

Assistant coaches on staff took over for departing head coaches and stuck around themselves.

Butler has gotten away from that in recent years. The program’s last five head coaching hires — Garry Cathell, Jeff McAnallen, Jim Rankin, Clyde Conti and Densmore — have come from outside of the school district.

These were all quality men who had success in other places. Rankin won at North Allegheny. Conti won everywhere. Densmore and McAnallen were assistants at powers Pine-Richland and North Hills, respectively.

Why didn’t they win here? Some weren’t given enough time. Conti took a team to the playoffs, but was gone after three years. Some were never on staff here, which makes it hard to sell the program to prospective players.

There is one guarantee. Butler’s next head football coach will be a quality person. The names above are all of that and then some.

My hope is that one of the young, loyal assistants on the staff — if they’ve applied — is given a shot.Densmore had this program headed in the right direction. Three wins this year should have been four. That 7-6 loss to Norwin was a heartbreaker.

Butler has won four games in a season once in the past 11 years, when Conti took the Tornado to the playoffs in 2012.

You have to walk before you can run.

Christy or Bill Elliott deserve a chance to build something here. Both are on staff. Both teach. Both are former high school players in the area. Christy was a solid quarterback, Elliott a standout linebacker.

Both bring the same energy and passion they had as football players to the sidelines as coaches.

If they’re ready — and it’s not my place to determine that — hand one of them the keys.

Again, continuity.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle