BUTLER TWP — The Butler County Bears picked up their third victory — sort of.

The Grid Iron Football Alliance semi-pro franchise has been awarded a forfeit victory following a debacle Saturday in Youngstown, witnessed by league president Brad Valentine.

“Pending the results of our investigation, yes, they have a forfeit,” Valentine said. “But this incident or anything like it has never occurred in our league before and we’re trying to be fair.”

The Bears were playing the Youngstown Steelers and trailed 13-0 at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Butler County coach Kirk Bergbigler pulled his team off the field.

“Tempers were heating up on both sides and the officials had no control of the game — or of each other,” Bergbigler said. “One official called Youngstown for offsides, another called us for illegal procedure, then the officials started screaming at each other.

“The entire game was bizarre like that. These officials didn’t know football rules, there was no scoreboard, no p.a. announcer, we played on an old high school field with grass way too high ... It was a terrible situation.”

Begbigler said one official “smelled like a brewery” when he came over to talk to him along the sidelines. Youngstown was handed a first down after a fourth-down play was stopped a yard and a half short of the sticks.

“The guy picked up the ball, moved it forward two yards, then measured,” Bergbigler said.

“Youngstown had the ball for six or seven plays to begin the first quarter, we went four-and-out, they went four-and-out, and the quarter was over. The officials kept time on the field and never bothered to stop the clock for anything.

“Before the start of the third quarter, an official came over to me, said it was 5:46, and that the quarter would be over at 6:01. It was crazy,” Bergbigler added. “An official said that ‘we were playing with a running clock, just like the pros.’”

And Valentine was in the stands to witness it all.

“That’s what I am in this situation — a witness,” the league president said. “I filed my report. Now the league commissioner (Ben Sortor) and co-founder of the GIFA with me (Robert Murphy) are conducting their investigation.

“The only way we won’t penalize the Youngstown team is if that officials association sent those refs to that game. If that’s the case, you can’t really blame the host team.”

Valentine said he is more concerned about the negative atmosphere and result of Saturday’s game moreso than the league’s credibility.

“Realistically, one out of maybe 10 players in this league have a chance to move on to arena football or something bigger,” he said. “But others may get the chance after playing in our league for a couple of years.

“We’re about giving athletes a forum to showcase their abilities, keep guys off the street while keeping their football careers moving in a positive direction. Obviously, we need their experiences in these games to be positive.

“I don’t blame Coach (Bergbigler) for pulling his team from the field. The game was becoming unsafe,” Valentine added.

The Bears (3-1 if awarded the forfeiture) are off this weekend before traveling to Rochester (NY) July 9.

Next home game is July 16 against the Canton Hurricanes at Art Bernardi Stadium.

“I’ve been around sports all my life and I’ve never seen anything like last Saturday,” Bergbigler said in retrospect.