It is always nice to see people recognized for their efforts in the community and also for exceeding expectations in their careers.

On Sunday night, the Butler basketball program and Coach Matt Clement presented Butler Eagle Sports Editor John Enrietto with the coveted 6th Man Award. The intent of the award is to honor someone for contributing to the success of the program outside of the players.

John Enrietto has never looked for awards or recognition. He is all about boosting up kids (even big ones who have graduated 50 years ago). John has the ability to find a silver lining in a turnover on the basketball court, a fumble on the football field or a wild pitch on the diamond.

You may not realize that a team is on a horrible losing streak because John and his staff, writers Mike Kilroy and Derek Pyda, are so good at finding some good in everything a student athlete does, whether they win or lose.

Coach Clement very nicely pointed out the fact that Butler County high schools are fortunate to still have a local daily newspaper that reports on all of the sports programs of the 11 high schools in the county. John has been the key person charged with this task at the Butler Eagle since a former associate who worked with John when they were young men in Steubenville, Ohio, asked him to follow him to Butler, Pa, in 1997. That is almost a quarter of a century ago, and John is still doing “his thing” for the kids of Butler County.

Sometimes the stories seem trivial to even the rest of the Eagle staff, but John knows it is meaningful to the athlete, his teammates, his coaches and his family. John raises up the accomplishments of all the players and all the teams and reminds us that these are kids, they are amateurs and their primary job is being a kid, not an athlete, no matter the level of success they are enjoying in school.

Coach Clement has been interviewed at each level of his great sports career. He faced the media as an amateur player in high school, a successful professional and now in a shining coaching career. He has spent time with sports writers and broadcasters known to millions of fans.

But he probably hasn’t been interviewed by anyone any more honest or sincere than John Enrietto, and he will never have to worry about John not treating any of his players with any less than full respect.

As John’s work family, we are proud of the job he does every day and thank him for the positive light he shines on us with his skills and his dedication. We congratulate John and we thank Coach Clement for recognizing how much John has done for not only Butler High School basketball, but also athletes, male and female, across Butler County.

And please wear your mask.

— RV