JACKSON TWP — Ron Butschle ended his head football coaching career because of family.

He’s resuming it for the same reason.

Butschle, 51, was named Seneca Valley’s new head football coach at the district’s school board meeting Monday. The board vote was unanimous at 8-0.

He succeeds Dave Vestal, who was 13-9 in two years at the helm, including an 8-4 season last fall that resulted in a trip to the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game at Heinz Field. Vestal resigned after the season for family reasons.

Butschle, who was Raiders’ head coach from 2004-08 before taking the head coaching job at Sto-Rox, resigned the latter position for family reasons after two successful seasons.

“My wife passed away. We had a 4-year-old son at the time and I had to focus my energy on raising him,” Butschle said.

Butschle had guided Sto-Rox to a 7-3 record in 2010 — his first season — then produced a 12-1 season the following year that ended with a loss to Clairton in the WPIAL Class A title game.

Then he didn’t coach at all for four years.

“I had gotten to know Dave Vestal well through the coaching fraternity,” Butschle said. “When he was hired at Seneca, he asked me to come on board as his offensive coordinator.

“He allowed me to bring my son to practice. That was an important part in my deciding to come back.”

Butschle was 15-33 — including one playoff appearance — during his previous stint as Raiders’ head coach. He had been an English teacher at Seneca Valley since 2004 before becoming the school’s dean of students this year.

One of two finalists for the job. Butschle was one of 20 official applicants for the position.

“We want this program to have sustained success and we wanted to keep that culture in place,” SV athletic director Heather Lewis said. “Ron clearly knows his X’s and O’s, but he’s so much more than that. He is a good coach and leader. He’s firm and he cares very deeply about these kids.

“He’s the man to lead the program forward. As offensive coordinator, he’s had a lot to do with our success over the past two years.”

Butschle said he considers the Seneca Valley football team to be like family and has developed a tight bond with the players.

“Loyalty is very important to me,” he said. “That trait has helped me become a better coach, a better father and a better husband.”

It also motivated him to take over off-season activities with the football program after Vestal left.

Butschle has been monitoring the football players’ participation in the weight room over recent months.

“The kids needed to know it was going to be business as usual and I was going to be there for them no matter what happened (with the coaching situation),” he said.

“I’m excited, simply elated to get this job. I’m celebrating now and it will be back to business on Wednesday.”

The Raiders have been taking care of business in the weight room. The team recently won the MAC power-lifting competition, besting a field of approximately 12 teams.

Team participation in the weight room has been at 93 percent over the past eight-week cycle.

“That’s an A in the classroom,” Butschle said. “We’re striving for 100 percent participation. We stress accountability and responsibility.

“In terms of our lifting and conditioning, I like this team’s effort and enthusiasm. They are taking ownership of what they want to get done.”

Lewis credits Butschle with much of that.

“He took over the reins and ran with it over the past few weeks,” she said. “He’s kept the program together, kept it moving in the right direction. To me, he was a clear choice for the job.”