BUTLER TWP — The start of high school football season is still weeks away, but Jeff McAnallen is ahead of the game.

The 1990 Butler graduate and first-year Golden Tornado head coach has met with his players "25 times or so"and has been meeting with his coaching staff once or twice a week for a few months.

"We've reviewed every game they played last year at least two times each,"McAnallen said. "We've broken down what worked, what didn't, and how we're going to do things differently."

McAnallen inherits a team that graduated 25 seniors — most of them starters — and a program that hasn't been to the WPIAL playoffs since 1998. The Tornado's last winning season was 1997.

McAnallen has hired eight assistant coaches to work with him. Garry Cathell had 13 assistants on his staff a year ago.

"There were only five of us with Jack (McCurry) at North Hills,"McAnallen said. "Coming into a new program, I wanted guys willing to work who would do what I ask them to do.

"These guys are committed. Most of these guys are from Butler and care deeply about football here. They're willing to do what it takes to turn it around."

Four of McAnallen's assistants — defensive coordinator Erich Campbell, wide receivers-special teams coach Steve Monteleone, defensive backs-special teams coach Bill Mylan and head junior varsity coach Rick Schontz — were part of Cathell's staff last year.

Campbell is the only coach with the same role he had a year ago, however.

"We'll be using a 44 defense and Coach Campbell ran a 43 defense here before, so the adjustment won't be all that much,"McAnallen said.

Joining the staff are junior varsity line coach Dave Andrews, running backs-junior varsity coach Paul Lumley, linebackers coach Jeff Caringola and quarterbacks-junior varsity coach Eric Christy.

Christy was Butler's starting quarterback during that 1998 playoff season. He had been coaching at Clarion-Limestone.

Campbell (Mt. Lebanon), Mylan (Beth-Center) and Andrews (Knoch) are the only assistant coaches not from Butler.

"I know all of these guys pretty well,"McAnallen said. "Erich and I played against each other in high school. He graduated the same year I did.

"Rick Schontz was my track and field coach and one of my football coaches at Butler. Jeff Caringola is a good friend of mine and, having coached at North Hills all those years, I've coached against a lot of these people."

McAnallen also will serve as offensive coordinator, and offensive and defensive line coach.

"During the interview sessions, I talked about the history of this program and emphasized the tradition of it,"McAnallen said. "We're all on the same page."

The coach anticipates a roster of 65 to 70 players when camp opens next month.

"I'm fine with that,"he said. "You have to want to play football. It's about putting in a lot of work for only 10 games. This is a unique sport that way.

"Really, it doesn't matter to me that we've lost a bunch of seniors or if we had a bunch of starters back. The best kids will play offense, the best kids will play defense. It's nice to have 22 guys to play regularly, but it doesn't always work that way."

McAnallen attributes being ahead of the game to being brought on board as a full-time employee by the Butler School District last March.

"That was huge,"he said. "Most school districts just don't do that. The situation and opportunity were there and I jumped on it."