It has to end sometime.

Doesn't it?

Never mind that Butler High School varsity football hasn't had a winning season since 1997 and hasn't won a WPIAL playoff game since 1992.

Let's look at more recent times.

When Garry Cathell was terminated as the Golden Tornado head coach following the 2006 season, he had a record of 17-33 in five years. He never made the playoffs.

He didn't win enough games.

So he was bounced.

The five head coaches since then have won a total of 18 games.

And it wasn't their fault. These guys were not bad coaches. They knew how to win. They came from winning programs.

Jeff McAnallen was the line coach at North Hills. He returned to his alma mater to take the head coaching job and was 3-24 in three years.

Jim Rankin won annually at North Allegheny. He was an integral part of a powerhouse run there that continues today.

He took the Butler job, went 0-9 and split.

Clyde Conti has been a winner everywhere he's been, guiding Clarion-Limestone and Slippery Rock to highly successful seasons. He took Butler to its last playoff appearance, but was 7-21 with the Tornado.

Rob Densmore was a coordinator at Pine-Richland, a big part of the Rams' success. He took over at Butler and went 7-28 before leaving.

Eric Christy, the Tornado's starting quarterback during its 1998 playoff season and now a teacher at his alma mater, won the last game of the 2017 season as interim head coach and was named head coach that off-season.

He hasn't won a game since.

It's not the coaches, folks. Butler football has had high-quality coaches, highly respected leaders of young men, and it's got one now.

The problem is the kids aren't sticking with the program. The Tornado dressed 27 players last week at Seneca Valley. Some of the missing were injured. Others weren't dressed for disciplinary reasons.

Such numbers for a 6A school are ridiculous.

I've said it before — kudos to the members of the 2019 Butler football team. They are giving everything they have against odds they shouldn't have to be facing week in and week out.

Butler football needs numbers.

Period.

You can't physically practice hard during the week with numbers this small. There's no one to go up against and you can't afford to get anyone hurt.

Check out a North Allegheny practice, or one at Seneca Valley, or Central Catholic, Pine-Richland, Mt. Lebanon, whoever. Guaranteed, they're different. They have numbers. They can go at it hard. Butler can't.

Butler football can win again — with the proper preparatory work, dedication to the weight room and when the overall student body cares enough to make it happen.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle