BUTLER TWP — Step one in building a football program? Add football players.

Butler took a step in that direction Tuesday evening as its youth football camp returned to Art Bernardi Stadium after a year's absence.

“We couldn't do much of anything last spring,” Butler High School head coach Eric Christy said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic. “It's great seeing all of these kids out here right now.

“In a sense, this is the future of Butler football running around this field.”

Christy, his staff and a number of current Golden Tornado varsity players worked with roughly 85 kids from kindergarten age through seventh grade.

The youths were divided into teams, each squad being guided by different varsity players.

The camp has been a tradition of Butler football for years. Christy recalled his senior year, when then sixth-grader Nate Hartung was “my quarterback” at the camp.

Hartung went on to play college football as an offensive lineman at Brigham Young and Division II Winston-Salem State.

Recently joining the defensive football coaching staff at Edinboro University, Hartung swung by Tuesday to help out with the camp.

“I guess we've come full-circle,” Christy said, smiling.

“Anything I can do to help out,” Hartung said. “Whatever Eric needs me to do, I'll do. I'm happy to be here. I still love Butler football.”

The kids went through offensive stations, defensive stations, played 7-on-7 flag football games and received T-shirts autographed by current Butler players.

At the camp's conclusion, two footballs autographed by Golden Tornado players were presented to winners of a drawing.

“We want these kids to recognize and know who these (high school) playets are. It was important to bring this camp back,” Christy said. “The question was when to have it. We just finished up with our own spring football work, graduation is coming up here and we wanted to get this camp in while school was still in session, to avoid vacations.

“This is a true community event. It emphasizes that we're not Butler High School football or the Butler Area Midget Football League ... we're all Butler. We're all on the same team. That's what a program is.”

Christy said 80 players received pads during the high school team's spring drills.

“We'll see who's all back in the summer, but that's a healthy number,” Christy said. “Ideally, you'd love to have 25 to 30 kids per class playing football. We're beginning to approach that.”

Roughly 45 varsity players helped out with Tuesday's camp. Cooper Baxter and Charlie Kreinbucher were among them.

“I remember when I was a little kid coming here,” Baxter said. “It was cool being able to meet and be taught by varsity players. It introduced me to the game.

“Five or six years from now, hopefully these kids will be back here paying it forward to the next group of kids coming up.

“There are a lot of kids here and they wouldn't be here if they didn't care about football,” Baxter added.

A longtime basketball player, Kreinbucher did not start playing football until his sophomore year. Now he's getting collegiate offers, the biggest one being Akron so far.

“I had to cram a lot of information in fast and learn things quickly,” the tight end said. “Something like this gives these kids such a head start.

“I started from zero. These guys don't have to.”

Christy said the camp starts “the bonding thing” between the varsity team and the aspiring youths.

“Commit, communicate, learn about the game,” the coach said. “This gives these kids a feel for football.”