Sometimes, you just gotta tip your cap.

And a tip of the cap today goes out to Kirk Bergbigler.

The head coach of the Butler County Bears semi-pro football team has aspirations of becoming a college coach down the road.

For what he’s done the past two years, the man deserves a shot.

Bergbigler was in on the ground floor of the Butler County Bears’ formation last year. He did much of the work in assembling the roster and setting up fundraisers.

The team struggled to a 2-6 record in its first season, played games in horrid weather conditions, even had a couple of games shortened by heavy lightning.

After one game late last season, a lopsided home loss at Karns City’s stadium, Bergbigler tried calling a quick meeting with his team along the sidelines.

His roster already dwindling, a couple of players refused to take part in the meeting, ignored Bergbigler’s authority and disrespected him by sinply vacating the premises.

The scene saddened me because it appeared this new football team wasn’t going to survive.

To the contrary — it thrived.

Bergbigler brought in new players to go with the returnees — impact guys like Moniteau graduate James Shope and Karns City graduate Erik Fuhrer — to spark an offense that failed to produce much of anything last year.

Some of the holdovers — guys like KC grad Stephon Conto and Randall Palakovich — developed into team leaders.

Lo and behold, the Bears came within a possession of winning the Grid Iron Football Alliance championship game.

Yet, clearly, there is work to be done ... not with the Bears, so much, but with the league they’re a part of.

The GIFA’s regular season champion Youngstown Steelers were ruled ineligible for the postseason because thet had no viable facility to host a game.

Two of the Bears’ regular season games were ended at halftime — once because of incompetent officials and a bad playing surface in Youngstown, once at Art Bernardi Stadium because the opposing team had about 14 players.

The GIFA began the year with six teams and had one drop out before the season even started.

Erie’s coach lauded his own program and Berbigler’s. He referred to the rest of the league as “ghetto teams.”

Unfortunately, part of who you are is the company you keep.

Largely due to Bergbigler’s diligence, the Butler County Bears have become a well-run, healthy football program just two years into their existence.

If the GIFA cannot grow in a positive way and produce more programs like this one, Bergbigler can’t be faulted if he looks for yet another league for his team to call home.

His hard work deserves a just reward.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle