Four Butler High School home football games will be televised live this season on Tornado TV, Armstrong Cable Channel 50.

Ed Codi, Mike Kelly and George Abraham will combine to do play-by-play and color commentary of the games, which will be broadcast commercial-free.

Butler High School students interested in the communications field will also be involved in the telecasts.

"This is a service to the school district and community that's long overdue," Codi said. "We're breaking new ground here and we're excited about it."

Fiore Mastracci, who heads the TV station at the high school, will be head of production for the broadcasts.

Butler home games televised live will be Aug. 26 vs. Kiski Area, Sept. 9 vs. Upper St. Clair, Sept. 30 vs. North Allegheny and Oct. 21 vs. Seneca Valley.

Butler's game against Hempfield Sept. 1 at Heinz Field also will be televised, but on tape delay at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2.

Codi said Channel 50 will televise about 30 plays of Friday's 7 p.m. home scrimmage against Woodland Hills.

"That's primarily to test our equipment and see where we're at," he said.

Public donations totaling $5,000 helped get the TV deal off the ground. Codi, Kelly and Abraham are donating their time to the project.

The idea has been in the works for more than a year and was finalized in a series of meetings with Butler Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edward Fink, assistant superintendents Dr. Michael Strutt and Jerry Slamecka, and athletic director Tim O'Malley.

"Those people deserve credit for enabling this project to be put together," Abraham said. "You can come up with 50 reasons why you can't do something.

"They decided to figure out a way that we can do this."

Students will be involved in camera work, production and perhaps sideline reporting.

"A number of students have interest in entering this field," Codi said. "Now they can acquire hands-on experience with us."

Besides the home football games, Tornado TV will broadcast eight home basketball games this winter.

An occasional soccer game, wrestling match or other Butler varsity sport might be added to the broadcast schedule.

"Once students get trained, gain experience and our resources grow, this project will expand," Codi said. "Three years down the road, we hope to be doing all of the home and away football and basketball games."

The station will feature a pre-game show with each broadcast that includes an interview with Butler head coach Garry Cathell. Halftime shows will include the Butler marching band, interviews with Butler athletes from other sports and former football players.

"There's going to be some growing pains, but the important thing is that we're getting started," Abraham said of the broadcasts.

Kelly played football for Butler in the 1960s and recalled being on TV.

"We were playing at Pitt Stadium and it was televised," he said. "Everything looked so far away and it was hard to tell who was who, but technology is so different now.

"This project is great for the community and great for the kids. It's always exciting to be on TV. We have a 400-student marching band that will be displayed … Butler has a chance to showcase itself."

Kelly said students will have the opportunity to learn and more people will have the opportunity to watch.

"Because of the age of our community, parking's not particularly close - some people just can't get there," he said. "These telecasts will be a service to them."