77-0, 63-0, 68-7, 61-6, 58-0, 55-0 ... these are just a few of the high school football scores posted across Pennsylvania over the season’s first three weeks.

Scores like these benefit no one, but are particularly damaging to the team on the short end.

Nobody wants to go through a night like that — and in some cases, a season like that.

Sheffield High School is going through one right now. That team lost its first three games this season by scores of 49-6, 77-0 and 63-0. The 77-0 defeat came at the hands of Union/A-C Valley. The score was 54-0 by halftime.

A small school like that has a small-numbered roster to begin with. Those numbers will likely dwindle when kids coming up through the system see those results.

It’s tough to sell a football program to prospective players when you’re consistently losing by overwhelming scores.

Get out of a situation like that and your numbers — and the prospect of your program — can improve.

Case in point: Butler.

The Golden Tornado spent a stretch of years losing by lopsided margins to the North Alleghenys, Pine-Richlands and Central Catholics of the world. Their roster size seemed to shrink every year.

Two years ago, it hit rock-bottom. With a few injuries added to a small roster, Butler was suiting up fewer than 30 players while going up against powerful WPIAL 6A opponents.

Something had to be done.

So Butler did it.

The Tornado pulled their football program out of the WPIAL last year and gained membership in District 10. Butler’s administration took some heat and criticism for that decision.

But like it or not, it’s working.

Butler is becoming consistently competitive. Going into this weekend’s game at powerful McDowell, the Tornado have won three of their last four games, dating back to last year.

And the numbers are back.

Butler began this season with more than 70 rostered players. Considering it had 28 only two years ago, such an increase is amazing.

And playing a schedule which has teams it can currently compete with has a lot to do with the renewed interest in Butler’s varsity football program from the players’ perspective.

Nobody is going to convince me otherwise.

Give credit where it’s due. Leaving the WPIAL for District 10 was a gutsy move. The school district knew it wouldn’t be an entirely popular one.

But a few years from now, this move may prove to have saved the school’s football program.

Other struggling high school football programs should consider similar moves.

Regenerate interest. Then start building.

It beats crumbling.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle