BUTLER TWP— Proud of his team in defeat, Butler football coach Jeff McAnallen continues to search for his first victory.

The Golden Tornado (0-3) play their final nonsection game Friday night, hosting Bethel Park (2-1) at Art Bernardi Stadium.

Butler is coming off a 19-17 loss at Fox Chapel, a game in which it rallied for a one-point lead after falling behind 16-0 in the first quarter.

"We fought back from adversity, and I'm proud of the kids for that,"McAnallen said. "They got a taste of what it feels like to be in position to win a football game. We just didn't finish it off."

The coach said the loss was a matter of "guessing wrong" during Butler's final possession of the night.

"They were blitzing a lot and it turned into a bit of a guessing game for us out there,"McAnallen said. "They hit us for a couple of losses that we couldn't overcome.

"We had the momentum to win that game and we let it slip away. That was a tough one, but we're still improving. ... The kids are learning every day."

McAnallen continues to tweak his lineup as well. Quarterback Cole Harvey has replaced Jerry Gutierrez at punter and T.J. Lesniewski and Tony Fudoli — two standouts on defense — saw some time in the offensive backfield last week.

"They'll see some more time on offense this week,"McAnallen said. "We're trying to get our best kids on the field as often as we can.

"I'm trying to play as many different kids as I can and some guys are simply earning more time."

Pleased with his defense all season, McAnallen has been particularly impressed with junior cornerback Josh Reddick.

"I could talk about him all day,"the coach said. "He's a great kid and a great football player. He's got the right attitude and he's becoming a good leader on the field."

Butler's defense forced a key turnover last week when Lesniewski hit the quarterback and created a fumble that Josh Bartley recovered in Fox Chapel territory. The turnover set up the Tornado's go-ahead touchdown.

"We need to see more plays like that,"McAnallen said.

The Tornado will face a top tailback in Bethel Park junior Lyle Marsh, who has run for 460 yards in three games.

By comparison, Butler's running attack is still by committee.

"Bethel Park has the standout runner they keep giving the ball to over and over and over,"McAnallen said. "We don't have that type of runner. We need our guys to work and function as a team to move the football."

Cameron McDonald-Cahill leads Butler's ground game with 115 yards on 24 carries. Fullback Christos Klutinoty has 96 yards on 22 carries. Quarterback Cole Harvey has 89 yards rushing, including sacks, and Mason McLaughlin has 68 yards on the ground.

Harvey enjoyed his first 100-yard passing game last week and threw his first two varsity touchdown passes. Tight end Jared Oesterling had four catches for 50 yards, including one for a TD, and was named the Butler Quarterback Club's Player of the Week.

Harvey has thrown for only 149 yards through three games, but he hasn't been intercepted since the first quarter of Week 1.

"Mistakes have hurt us on the offensive side of the ball,"McAnallen said. "Our execution has to get better as a unit."

The coach said Bethel Park does nothing fancy offensively.

"They don't try to spread you out like most teams do,"he said. "They'll run play action, give the ball to their tailback. ... They run their basic package and you have to stop it."