Can football be saved in Butler?

That sounds like such a ludicrous question to be asked of any town in western Pennsylvania, but it’s become a legitimate concern.

Not only have the Golden Tornado been going through head coaches along with losses, but the number of kids playing the game has been dwindling.

The Butler Area Midget Football League used to be a circuit of six youth teams or more. It’s now down to two, though those teams did experience competition from outside of the area while playing in a new league.

The Lil’ Tornadoes’ roster took a hit this year as well, its varsity team having fewer than 20 players.

Butler has enjoyed football success at the junior high and freshman levels, but many of those kids opt for other sports rather than play varsity football.

Butler had 62 players — sophomores through seniors — on its preseason roster. Injuries decimated the team during the season, to the point where the Tornado’s final few junior varsity games had to be canceled because of a lack of numbers.

Since 2003, Butler has lost 55 of 62 section games. The Tornado have won more than one section game in a season only once in the last 11 years — going 3-4 in 2012 — and have not won more than four games in a season on the field since 1997.

Butler’s next head football coach will be its fourth in eight years.

So with all of that, how does this thing get turned around?

The most immediate key is to get the players on the currently successful junior high and freshman teams to stay with football.

Along with that quest is finding a way for current Butler High School athletes who formerly played football to want to return to the sport.

That, obviously, is easier said than done. This next hire of a head coach needs to be a long-term move.

Butler desperately needs to establish continuity in this program and that all starts at the top. The more often you change head coaches, the farther away from building a program you drift.

Garry Cathell was Butler’s head coach for five years and compiled an 18-32 record. His predecessor, Mark Farabee, had a better record than that over six years.

Since Cathell was replaced in 2007, three head coaches have combined to post a 10-54 won-loss record. That trend isn’t going to change overnight.

Butler’s next football coach should be left alone for at least five years, regardless of wins and losses, as long as he’s running a clean program and helping the kids progress on and off the field, of course.

Hopefully, that progress will turn into wins sooner rather than later. Either way, a coach needs time to establish himself as a leader and build a program.

Yes, football can be saved in Butler.

But patience is required.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle