BUTLER TWP — Butler's offense holds no secrets.

The football is being snapped to No. 5. The ball will likely be run by No. 5. The ball will rarely leave the hands of No. 5.

No. 5 is Luke Michalek.

And good luck stopping him.

He played wide receiver last season. He began this year at running back. A few weeks ago, he was shifted to quarterback.

“Each move was for the same reason,” Butler coach Rob Densmore said. “He's our best athlete. Get the ball in his hands more often.”

That includes kickoff and punt returns. Michalek has returned one kickoff for a touchdown and he's averaging more than 12 yards per punt return.

Michalek has 1,146 all-purpose yards so far this season. He is averaging six yards per xcarry — 94 carries for 577 yards — and has a chance to become the Golden Tornado's first 1,000-yard rusher since Calvin Littlejohn in 2003.

“That would mean a lot to me,” Michalek said. “(Offensive lineman) Jake Kradel and I have talked about that. I do a lot of running right behind him.

“His parents and mine are best friends. Jake and I are best friends. The way our offensive line is playing right now, we can do very well in these last three games. If I wind up with 1,000, that'd be great, but we want wins.”

And Michalek hasn't minded the position changes.

“Each move has given me more opportunity to make plays, to make more of an impact,” the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder said.

Michalek has 428 yards in kick returns and 100 in punt returns. He still has more receiving yards (41) than any player on the Butler roster.

“He's got football speed,” Densmore said. “Luke doesn't run a 4.4 40, but he blows past guys on the football field who probably run the 40 faster than him. He has that burst, no doubt about it.'

Offensive coordinator Eric Christy said the shift of Michalek to quarterback has been hard in one way, easy in another.

“We had to put in a new offense in a week,” Christy said. “That's never easy. But having the ball in Luke's hands to begin every play has been pretty good.

It may get even better.

Butler has thrown only one touchdown pass in the past two seasons. That occurred last year.

“We add a few more plays each week,” Michalek said. 'I feel like we're capable of throwing the ball. I have to read the defense and yeah, that was foreign to me at first.

“I'm getting it down now. I pretty much have to read two or three guys — a linebacker, corner and safety — to see what's there.”

After Michalek, the Butler player with the most all-purpose yards is Jacob Tilko. He has 160.

Densmore said he's heard no complaints about Michalek's heavy work-load — either from Michalek or any other player.

“The team knows this gives us our best chance to win,” Densmore said. “There is no selfishness on this team. It hasn't been an issue with anyone.

“Our offensive line is playing now like I thought it would at the start of the season. People don't realize how young we are up front. Kradel is the only returning starter there. We moved Nick Stazer to guard and he's been tremendous there.”

Michalek echoed that thought about the senior Stazer, in his first varsity football season.

“He's lining up against guys going Division I (college) and he's been moving them,” Micjhalek said. “He's playing great.”

While Michalek has completed 11 of 17 passes for 82 yards, that side of his game is improving. He connected on four of five passes at Central Catholic last week, along with rushing for 83 yards and scoring both Butler touchdowns.

Michalek has scored 10 touchdowns this season.

“Whenever we snap the ball, everybody thinks Luke is going to run it,” Densmore said. “He gets out on the edge and defenders have to come up, respecting that run. We're getting receivers open behind the defense. Plays are definitely there in the pass game.”

Christy described Michalek as “a short to medium-range passer who's feeling more comfortable throwing the football.”

While some of Michalek's plays don't click in practice, he executes them well on game nights.

“He plays well when the lights come on,” Christy said.

“The kid is a competitor. That makes a difference,” Densmore said.

Also a guard on the Butler basketball team, Michalek wants to play college football, preferably at the Division I level, likely as a slot receiver.

He carries a 3.9 grade point average and wants to enter the medical field.

“I know I'm late in terms of recruiting. I haven't really thrown my name out there yet,” Michalek said. 'I want to play.”

He's certainly proven he can.