BUTLER TWP — Some old, some new.

First-year Butler High School head varsity football coach Jim Rankin is hoping that combination of coaches helps turn around a program that hasn't had a winning season since 1997.

"When you're in a transition, you need to go get people," said Rankin, who led North Allegheny to numerous WPIAL playoff appearances before leaving the Tigers in 2005.

"Fresh faces don't mean a lot to me, but quality people do."

Former Butler quarterback Eric Christy, last year's junior varsity head coach, is the lone returnee from the 2009 staff. He will work with quarterbacks and running backs.

Paul Lumley worked with the Golden Tornado running backs and the junior varsity last year and may return to the 2010 staff, work schedule permitting.

"His work schedule may be an issue," Rankin said. "If Paul can't join us, I may add another one or two coaches."

The most veteran assistant on Rankin's staff is Bernie Storer of Wilkinsburg, who will coach tackles, tight ends and outside linebackers. Storer is a former head coach at Burrell and Bethel Park.

He also served as an assistant coach at Duquesne University for eight years and was an assistant coach with Rankin at Carnegie Mellon University for four seasons.

"Bernie is strong in the weight room and he has a great rapport with kids," Rankin said. "I'm thrilled to get him."

Storer, 62, has been coaching football for 32 years.

"I've always respected Jim's philosophy of coaching and once he got a head coaching job again, I wanted to join him," Storer said. "It's exciting for us to go up there and start the Butler program in a new direction.

"We've been with the kids for weeks now. They want to be successful and they're extremely coachable. That's refreshing to see as a coach.

"We're not looking past a one-year plan. We're ready to be successful right now and we won't accept anything less than that attitude," Storer added.

Two Northwest Elementary School teachers — Tim Mahoney and Karns City graduate Jeff Wagner — are on Rankin's staff as well. Mahoney will work with defensive backs and split ends. He played college football at Lycoming in Philadelphia.

Wagner, 26, was a volunteer coach at Karns City last year and coached freshmen at Frederick, Md., for two years before that. He was a standout player at Karns City and Thiel College.

Wagner will coach inside linebackers and running backs for the Tornado.

"About a month after Coach Rankin was hired, I called him to express my interest in joining the coaching staff," Wagner said. "Now that I'm teaching in the district, I want to do what I can to help turn the program around."

Other assistant coaches include Nick Sciarro, a four-year noseguard at North Allegheny who's been an assistant at New Castle the past three years, and Chris Cafardi, who comes from Pine-Richland.

Cafardi coached youth football at Pine-Richland for four years and is a 1997 North Allegheny graduate. He is a volunteer coach.

"I'm an innovative X's and O's guy who does a lot of things with the no-huddle, even at the youth level," Cafardi said. "I think that's why Coach Rankin contacted me.

"This is a good group (of coaches). We're high-energy people and we're all focused on discipline."

Sciarro will coach guards, centers and the defensive line. Cafardi will work with Butler's passing game.

"I have no offensive or defensive coordinator yet because we're all going to be learning a system," Rankin said. "This will be a group effort on both siders of the ball.

"I'm the one who knows what we're doing right now. Until we're seasoned enough as a staff, I'll be making the calls."

Wagner said the staff has already gotten together.

"There's a good mix of experience here and that will be good for the kids," he said.

Rankin said he's "very excited" about the staff he's assembled.

"These guys come from winning backgrounds and we're all on the same page," he said. "This is going to be fun."