BUTLER TWP — Shaler scored quickly to take the lead, then moved slowly to keep it.

The Titans used a 78-yard touchdown run by Jon Fitzpatrick and a 72-yard touchdown pass to Curtis McGriff to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

After Butler used 17 plays and 7:42 to pull within five points in the fourth quarter, the Titans chewed up the final 4:38 Friday night to hold on to a 21-16 football victory at Art Bernardi Stadium.

"We couldn't get them off the field,"Butler coach Garry Cathell said.

The loss — Butler's third straight — spoiled the Golden Tornado's homecoming and a solid effort by a few who were playing out of position.

Aaron Dorondo had 15 carries for 87 yards from the fullback position, where he played for the injured Ben Ashcraft. Normally a tight end, Dorondo helped set up a Chris Haley field goal with a 38-yard run.

Lee Stalker, normally a defensive end, had four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown at tight end.

But the reshuffled Butler lineup could not contain Shaler's Wing-T attack.

Haley's 39-yard field goal with 5:27 left in the third quarter pulled Butler within 14-10 before Shaler answered with a nine-play, 76-yard scoring drive.

Titans fullback Mike Francis carried the ball on eight consecutive plays before Fitzpatrick got around right end for a 19-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the period.

Fitzpatrick had escaped around right end for his 78-yard scoring jaunt on the second offensive play of the game.

"We missed the Haley boys (corners Ian and Cory) tonight,"Cathell said. "We were playing with two new corners and we just didn't contain the outside.

"Late in the game, they were able to gash us up the middle."

Trailing 21-10, the Tornado (2-4, 0-2) put together their second long scoring drive of the night. Butler marched 66 yards in 17 plays after the final Shaler touchdown.

But by the time Monteleone scored on a 1-yard run, only 4:38 remained in the game. A conversion pass failed and Butler trailed 21-16.

It never touched the ball again.

Shaler (5-1, 2-0) converted a pair of first downs and ran out the clock. Francis wound up with 17 carries for 123 yards, while Fitzpatrick had eight carries for 132 yards as the Titans racked up 262 yards rushing as a team.

"You have to try to hang your hat on something,"Shaler coach Jacque DeMatteo said. "We try to hang our hat on running the football."

Shaler didn't attempt a pass in the second half. The Titans' biggest pass was the 72-yard touchdown play in the second quarter. On second-and-8, quarterback R.J. Palso play-faked and found a streaking McGriff all alone deep down the middle of the field.

The play occurred after Butler had taken a 7-6 lead. The Tornado responded to Fitzpatrick's scoring run by marching 67 yards in 15 plays, eating 7:51 off the clock.

Monteleone found Lee Stalker for a 9-yard touchdown pass to end the drive. Adam Zaccari ran eight yards with a fake punt on fourth-and-3 from near midfield to extend the possession. Haley's PATgave Butler the edge after Shaler's first PATwas blocked.

Cathell said the coaching staff saw the pass to McGriff coming.

"We were yelling to our strong safety to watch out, but he got sucked in (by the play-fake) anyway,"he said.

DeMatteo heaved a sigh of relief after the game.

"This was a great high school football game,"he said. "I'm just glad we came out on top. Butler's kids are scrappy, they play hard. But we came up here on their homecoming and beat a veteran team."

Notes: After its 15-play scoring drive in the first quarter, Butler managed just one first down the rest of the half. ... Dan McPherson intercepted a pass and Michael Horseman recovered a fumble for the Tornado. ... Butler travels to North Hills next Friday.