Some people become synonymous with a high school sports program, most of them through their efforts as a player or coach.

A select few do so while not official members of the team. It takes many years of interaction and support from them to be viewed in such a light.

When it comes to Butler High School football, John Enrietto certainly qualifies.

As Butler Eagle sports editor, he has covered all but a handful of Golden Tornado games over the last 24 years and done countless other stories concerning the program.

“I've known John since just about his first day in Butler,” said Ralph McElhaney, who played football at Butler before serving as an assistant coach with the team for over 30 years. “He does a tremendous job of keeping track of everybody, knows everyone's name, compiles stats and keeps things positive around the program.”

That dedication has earned Enrietto the Butler Football Hometown Hero of the Year honor for 2021. He will be honored prior to Butler's home football game against General McLane Sept. 24.

A sports editor consistently covering that town's high school football team is not a given, but Enrietto knew no other way when he arrived in Butler in 1997.

“The other newspapers I worked for, that's how it was done,” Enrietto said. “I was the sports editor in Steubenville for 10 years, had a short stint in Xenia (Ohio), too, and I always covered the team in town.”

The first Butler game Enrietto covered was the season opener in 1997, a home contest against Penn Hills.

He still has a vivid memory of his arrival.

“I got to the press box and all of the seats were taken. It was a big early-season matchup and there were radio stations and other reporters there.”

Enrietto was just going to stand while covering the game, but former Eagle sports editor Mike Surkalo, who was still a regular in the press box, insisted that he be given a chair.

“I told him that I had no problem with standing,” added Enrietto, “but he said that whether Butler was having a good season or a bad one, the Eagle was going to be there to cover every single game and I deserved a seat.

“I was already planning on covering all of Butler's games, but that cemented it for me.”

The Golden Tornado have a storied past on the gridiron, with a pair of WPIAL titles and many other teams that had standout seasons, most of them under legendary coach Art Bernardi.

During Enrietto's time at the Eagle, however, success has often eluded Butler. The program's last winning season came in 1997. Since then, the Tornado have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs twice (1998, 2012).

He has worked with seven head coaches at Butler — Mark Farabee, Garry Cathell, Jeff McAnallen, Jim Rankin, Clyde Conti, Rob Densmore and current mentor Eric Christy.

“With each one, the passion has clearly been there to get this program back to where it once was,” said Enrietto. “They all wanted to win so bad.”

Christy was a quarterback at Butler in the late 1990s, then served as an assistant coach for 12 seasons.

“I remember interacting with John when I was playing here,” he said. “He's as high quality of a person as you'll get, is totally dedicated to the community, especially the kids.

“He's always been very supportive and I'm excited for him to be honored.”

Enrietto has covered many tough losses for Butler through the years.

“Every single one hit the kids hard,” he said. “There's been a lot of tears from them after games, kids on their knees, pounding their fist on the turf.

“It makes you realize how much it means to them. High school football is the purest form of the sport. The players are out there for their school and for each other ... because they love the game.”

Enrietto has been on the Butler Football Hometown Hero committee for 15 years.

“I love what it stands for,” he said. “They don't honor just the great players, like Terry Hanratty and the Saul brothers (Bill, Ron and Rich), they also honor people behind the scenes like boosters, guys who work the chains, scoreboard operators.

“It takes a lot of people to make a football program run smoothly and this program is a great way to say thank you to them.”

Now that gratitude is being directed at Enrietto.

“To be honest, I'm not sure I deserve this,” Enrietto said, “but I like to think that I've supported the program over the years. I've never dissed a high school kid in print; never have, never will. That's not what covering a high school team is about.”

McElhaney said Enrietto is “the perfect recipient for this honor. He has taken coverage of Butler football to another level. He's an amazing guy.”

Earlier this year, Enrietto received Butler Boys Basketball's 6th Man Award for his support of that program.

He said the support he receives at home has been integral to his longevity in the newspaper business.

John and his wife, Darlene, have been married for 36 years.

“She's had to go to weddings and a lot of other family functions by herself,” he said. “There's a lot of hours involved with this job, including weekends.

“It takes someone who is very unselfish and patient to live with that and I appreciate it very much.”

John Enrietto also made special mention of Kevin and Joni Vogel, who serve with him and McElhaney on the Hometown Hero committee, which selected the first honorees in 2004.

“They do a lot of leg work and help set up fundraisers,” he said. “They're the backbone of the organization.”