BUTLER TWP — Running and Josh Rader seem to go well together.

The Butler graduate will be sticking with the sport for a while longer. He is headed to Slippery Rock University to compete in cross country and track and field this fall.

“Josh has such a high ceiling. He’s not even close to peaking in cross country,” Butler cross country coach Rick Davanzati said. “He’s only done it for a year.”

Rader was a wide receiver for the Golden Tornado football team through his junior year. He decided to leave the gridiron and try his hand at cross country his senior season.

Rader wound up qualifying for the state meet in his lone year of competition.

“What he accomplished there is unheard of,” Butler track and field coach Rick Schontz said.

Rader certainly wasn’t expecting to reach the state meet.

“That totally surprised me,” he said. “The only reason I decided to join cross country was because I knew I’d be a runner in college and I wanted to up my preparation for that.

“Having gone that far in one season, I can’t wait to do cross country at SRU and see where it takes me.”

While he’s new at cross country, Rader is an accomplished veteran in track and field. He anchored the Tornado’s 4x800 relay team that sported Butler County’s fastest time this spring at seven minutes, 59.49 seconds. That unit placed fifth at the WPIAL meet and qualified for the state competition.

Rader also owned the county’s second fastest time in the 1,600 meters at 4:28.64.

“He ran the 800 for us as well and ran his fastest split at 1:56.4 in the two-mile relay at the WPIAL meet,” Butler track coach Rick Schontz said. “Josh just gets faster and faster. I know (SRU coach) John Papa runs a great program up there and he will do wonders for him.

“Josh leads through his determination and work ethic. I’ve been coaching for 30 years and there’s only a handful of kids I’d put in the same category as him in terms of hard work.”

Rader won the Ed Hartman Award — given to the Butler track and field athlete exhibiting the same type of determination and desire Hartman did years ago — as a junior. This year, Rader was co-winner of the Rosenweig Award for senior leadership. Mike Snow was the other winner.

The latter award is voted on by the team.

“I’m grateful and humble to receive that,” Rader said. “Again, it’s just something you don’t expect.”

Rader looked at Thiel, Saint Vincent and Washington & Jefferson before deciding on SRU. His older brother, Zach, will be a senior slotback on the Grove City College football team this fall.

Josh Rader carries a 3.9 grade point average and he is undecided on his major.

“I wanted to stay close to home and Slippery Rock has an outstanding program in both sports,” he said. “All I want to do is be the best I can be, just get better each year.

“They’ll probably start me out in the 1,500 meters and I may do the steeplechase. I’m excited about the challenge.”

Schontz said Papa may wind up running the 3,000 or 5,000 meters at The Rock.

“He’s very good with the longer distances,” Schontz said.

Davanzati figures Rader will shine regardless of the event, in fall or spring.

“Josh is just a great kid,” he said. “He has the right attitude and the skill set is there. He’s dedicated to the sport and is always determined to get better. That will carry him a long way.”