BUTLER TWP - For years, Butler has known how to put the foot in football.

Jason Cherry, Ben Otterson, Justin Cherry, Travis Zinkhann - all proved adept at providing three points for the Golden Tornado when called upon.

That tradition has not gone away. It's only gotten stronger.

Chris Haley booted two field goals for Butler as a freshman last year. He added a 28-yard field goal at Kiski Area in last week's season opener.

"Chris has a chance to be kicking for a Division I college some day," Jason Cherry said. "He has the potential to be the best kicker to ever come out of here."

Cherry would know. He is in his second year as Butler's volunteer kicking coach, working with the team's place-kickers and punters.

He is also the guy who turned coach Garry Cathell on to Haley's kicking abilities.

"Going into last year, we had nobody - and I mean nobody - to kick the ball," Cathell said. "I asked Jason if he knew of anybody and he told me about Chris."

Haley was kicking for South Butler in the Butler Area Midget Football League when he approached Cherry as a sixth-grader.

"I was attending a team kicking camp in July and met him there," Haley said. "I had his dad as a teacher in grade school, so I knew of him.

"I contacted (Cherry) the next year and he started working with me one-on-one."

"He wanted to kick, I showed him some basic things and it just went from there," Cherry said.

Cherry had done such good work with Haley that Cathell asked him to join the varsity staff as a volunteer coach while trying to extend his own kicking career.

Cherry last kicked for Slippery Rock University in 2002. His season was cut short when he suffered a high ankle sprain while making a tackle in the sixth game of that season.

"That injury threw a monkey wrench into things, but my goal has always been to kick for a professional football team," Cherry said. "That hasn't changed."

So Cherry works out at Butler every day while coaching kickers Haley and Zach Reiser, along with punter Andrew Goettler.

He has received tryouts from Chicago, Wilkes-Barre and Green Bay in arena football and worked out for NFL scouts in Tampa, Fla. within the past year. Cherry hopes to try out for a Canadian Football League team in April.

In arena ball, the kicker has to boot the ball 65 yards to hit the net.

"If you don't do that, they won't even look at you," Cherry said.

Cherry's kicks hit the net during his tryouts. He was one of six of 20 kickers at an arena tryout to make a 48-yard field goal.

Still, no calls.

"That's OK," he said. "I'm still only 24. I just need to get my foot in the door, so to speak."

Cherry and younger brother Justin - the starting punter at the University of Rhode Island this fall - have worked out in Virginia for Minnesota Vikings' kicking coach Doug Blevins.

"He's helped me so much with my form," Haley said of Cherry. "He's been through all of this and he knows what to do. I've advanced my skills because of him."

"He knows more about kicking now than I did as a senior," Cherry said. "He's put on about 10 pounds from last year and is physically stronger.

"Chris had a 42-yard field goal hit off the crossbar last year. I told him he'll be laughing about that kick this year."

Haley's development has kept fellow sophomore Reiser kicking for the junior varsity.

Reiser said he'd be comfortable trying a field goal from 47 to 50 yards out.

"Zach is excellent," Cathell confirmed. "He could probably kick for just about any other team in the league this year."

"My goal is to be able to kick in college, even if I am behind Chris right now," Reiser said. "I'm still kicking for the junior varsity and I'm still learning."

Cathell said Cherry's impact on Butler's kicking game has been obvious.

"It's an ideal situation," the coach said. "Jason and the kickers go off and do their own thing during practice. They have our practice schedule so when we need them for special teams work, they're right there."

"Field goals, kickoffs, punts, on-sides kicks … Jason works on all that stuff with our kids. Having a guy with them all the time who knows about kicking is a big plus for us."