No time to lose
BUTLER TWP — Butler is getting healthy. Now it needs to get going.
The Golden Tornado (0-3) travel to Canon-McMillan (1-2) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday trying to avoid mistakes that have cost the team dearly.
"If we just play solid football, not turn it over, punt when we have to ... we'd be at least 2-1 right now, maybe 3-0," coach Jeff McAnallen said.
The Tornado have committed 10 turnovers already and are a minus-7 in turnover-takeaway margin through three games.
Add to that having a pooch punt blocked and returned inside the 10-yard line and a shanked punt for only 10 net yards, leading to 14 Penn Hills points last week in a 31-21 loss, make it imperative that Butler lose the miscues.
"There's the obvious mistakes that people see. Then there's the less than obvious ones, like missed blocks or taking the wrong angle," McAnallen said. "Simply put, we just have to play better."
The Tornado missed two of their better players last week as running back Jake Thompson sat out the Penn Hills game with a sore hip and receiver-linebacker Jarrod Oesterling sat out with a knee problem.
Both return Friday.
Thompson has 133 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries, and Oesterling had two long touchdown receptions two weeks ago against Norwin.
"Jarrod's going to be worked back into the lineup gradually," McAnallen said. "He may only play linebacker Friday."
Thompson will join Eli Christy and Cole Baxter in the backfield behind quarterback Cole Harvey. Christy was named the Butler Quarterback Club's Offensive Player of the Week while Baxter received the Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Harvey has completed 21 of 43 passes for 332 yards, three TDs and three interceptions. His prime receiver has been tight end Brian Jendesky, who has 12 catches for 173 yards.
McAnallen isn't concerned about the mistakes getting into the heads of his players.
"We have a lot of seniors, older kids who want to be successful," he said. "They know what it takes."
Butler hung an 18-0 shutout on Canon-McMillan last year at Art Bernardi Stadium, taking advantage of some Big Mac turnovers.
Canon-McMillan has a much younger team this year, returning only two starters on offense and four on defense. The two offensive returnees, however, are fullback Mike Hull, headed to Penn State, and running back Chad Hagan, headed to Ohio State.Hull will play linebacker at Penn State, the same position his father and uncle played for the Nittany Lions."That kid is a man among boys on defense," McAnallen said. "We've seen him make 10 to 15 tackles in a row. Teams that have beaten Canon-Mac are teams that could block him. When I was at North Hills, we played Hopewell and (now Buffalo Bills linebacker) Paul Posluszny. Hull reminds me a lot of that kid."Hagan, sidelined by a heart condition for months, was cleared to play last week, but saw action only sparingly in a 37-7 loss to Woodland Hills."That game got out of hand early, so they didn't do much with (Hagan)," McAnallen said. "In a lot of ways, facing their offense will be like the first game of the season."Alex Adams, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior, filled in ably during Hagan's absence."Those three backs could start for any Quad-A team in the WPIAL," McAnallen said."This could be a quick game. They're going to try to run the ball and we're going to try to run the ball And I'm sure they're out for some revenge against us."
