PITTSBURGH — Butler's football team has not come close to earning victory on the scoreboard this year.

After beginning the season with a small roster, injuries have depleted the Golden Tornado's ranks to just 25 able bodies. Many of them are sophomores who should be playing junior varsity, except the program had to scrap its JV schedule this season.

It's a big reason why the team searches for wins elsewhere — on single plays and drives that can instill confidence and hope for what may lie ahead.

Butler's scoring march in the second quarter of Saturday's 55-6 loss to Central Catholic at Duquesne University's Rooney Field was one such victory.

Against a top-notch Viking defense, sophomore quarterback Cooper Baxter led a 7-play, 85-yard drive that Zach Slomers capped with a 6-yard touchdown run on a sweep to the left.

Setting up the touchdown were a 31-yard pass to Charlie Kreinbucher on the first play of the drive and a 25-yarder to Slomers on a 3rd-and-7 from midfield.

Butler coach Eric Christy has seen much progression in the passing game over the last two months.

“Cooper understands the offense,” he said. “He knows the routes the receivers are running and we allow him to make checks at the line.”

The game consisted of abbreviated 10-minute quarters and a running clock to begin the second half even though Central's lead at the time (34-6) did not call for the mercy rule.

“We don't have a lot of depth,” said Christy. “If we would have lost a guy at some positions today, we would have had to call the game right there.

“Bill Mylan (Butler's athletic director) called their AD up during the week and explained it all. They understand our situation and were very accommodating.”

The Vikings (7-1, 5-1) relied mostly on their strong ground attack. On the team's first play from scrimmage, Eddy Tillman raced 43 yards for a touchdown. Butler's Colin Look intercepted the two-point pass attempt following a bad snap, but Tillman's big run was a sign of things to come. He added a 54-yard score in the third quarter and finished the game with 100 yards on just six carries.

The Vikings finished the game with 229 rushing yards on 17 attempts.

“He's got a lot of speed and a lot of tenacity,” Christy said of Tillman. “He fits right in with our conference.”

Central coach Terry Totten knows Butler is in a tough spot with its limited numbers.

“I admire Butler for battling until the end,” he said. “They are under-manned and they kept fighting.”

The Vikings are in second place in the Quad County standings and still have a chance to win the conference title.

“We need to keep improving,” said Totten. “If we do that, we should be able to take care of some business.”

Butler (0-8, 0-6) hosts Hempfield on Friday.

Butler 0 6 0 0 — 6

Central Cath. 13 21 14 7 — 55

First Quarter

CC — Eddy Tillman 43 run (pass failed), 5:09

CC — Brandon Jackson 16 pass from Dom Pieto (Jonathan Opalko kick), 1:48

Second Quarter

CC — Dontre Jones 2 run (Opalko kick), 9:56

B — Zach Slomers 6 run (kick blocked), 6:51

CC — Jones 28 run (Opalko kick), 5:12

CC — JD Younger 5 run (Opalko kick), :12

Third Quarter

CC — Tillman 54 run (Matt Schearer kick), 7:47

CC — Jaishon Hawkins 45 punt return (Matt Castelnovo kick), 3:34

Fourth Quarter

CC — Jones 10 run (Schearer kick), 5:06

Individual Statistics

Rushing:Butler, Cooper Baxter 11-22, Justin Kabay 6-11, Zach Slomers 3-5. Central Catholic, Eddy Tillman 6-100, Dontre Jones 6-82, Dom Pieto 1-14, JD Younger 2-7, Antonio Pitts 1-9, Ian Kendall 1-17.

Passing:Butler, Cooper Baxter 9-14-85-0. Central Catholic, Dom Pieto 4-7-67-0.

Receiving:Butler, Charlie Kreinbucher 3-43, Zach Slomers 5-39, Antonio Harris 1-3. Central Catholic, Gannon Carothers 1-7, Brandon Jackson 2-39, Eric Benson 1-21.