BUTLER TWP — The Butler Area Midget Football League program is alive and well — and in the playoffs.

Three of the organization's four teams will host United Youth Football League playoff games Saturday at Art Bernardi Stadium.

The Butler mites team (ages 7-8) finished 6-2 in the regular season and will play Seneca Valley at 4 p.m.

The Butler Blue junior varsity (ages 9-10) was 7-1 in the regular season and plays Pine-Richland Green at 6 p.m.

The Butler varsity squad (ages 11-12) was 5-2 on the year and takes on Highlands at 8 p.m.

The BAMFL had a second JV team — Butler Gold — that missed qualifying for the playoffs by one game.

“Our numbers are way up this year, particularly at the JV level,” BAMFL president Jason Rees said. “We had about 50 kids in junior varsity last year and we're close to 70 this year.”

The mites have 26 players on their roster and the varsity team has 38.

Rees, Butler varsity coach Jason Butler, Butler Blue coach Lance Rihn and mites coach John Vissari are all Butler graduates who played in the BAMFL and played varsity football for the Golden Tornado.

“It's tough to get dedicated volunteers anymore,” Butler said. “I remember guys like Hank Leyland and Bob Zavacky who coached me in youth football.

“I've got kids of my own, but I wanted to dedicate time and give back to this program. We all want to help bring Butler football back to what it once was.”

Butler's BAMFL varsity team is led by quarterback Braylon Littlejohn and running backs Deshawn Cox, Landon Lacey, Carter and Preston Simko, and Alex Catalfano.

“A lot of these kids played as 11-year-olds last year,” Butler said. “There's a big difference in terms of physical maturity between age 11 and 12. The kids get better and they understand the game a lot better.”

Rihn has been coaching in the BAMFL for 10 years. He said his JV team “is playing together and getting better and better.

“Each Friday night high school home game, they let the youth players run out on to the field in front of the high school kids when they take the field,” Rihn continued. “It's a big deal for these kids to get a chance to play in the high school stadium.”

Rihn has a son, junior Lance Rihn, playing for the Golden Tornado. Vissari has a son, 12-year-old Ray, playing for the BAMFL varsity and an 8-year-old son, Angelo, playing for his mites team.

“It's frustrating and rewarding, simultaneously,” Vissari said of coaching at the mites level. “It's fun introducing kids to football and teaching them the game.”

Vissari has been coaching in the BAMFL program for six years.

“I love the way the program is developing now,” he said. “Ralph Graham coached me when I was a kid and he was like another dad to me.

“When I played football in Butler, I hated North Allegheny and the Penn Street Cardinals. Youth football in Butler is different now. But it's definitely much better than it was six years ago.”