Butler’s girls bowling team has its eyes on a return to the state tournament come March.

Only this time, it may have company.

“I believe this is the year our boys break through and get there,” Butler coach Bill Fay said. “The boys have yet to get past the regional, but they look as strong as our girls team does now.”

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League (WPIBL) gets under way today. The 47-school, seven-division circuit features a North Division with five Butler County teams.

Butler, Knoch, North Allegheny, Mars, Karns City and first-year program Seneca Valley comprise the North.

The Golden Tornado girls have yet to lose a regular-season match in their history. Butler’s girls have placed third, second and fourth in the state tourney in the team’s first three years of existence.

Butler returns four of the North Division’s top-10 bowlers in senior Brea Suchonic (180.48 average last year), sophomore Megan Paul (180.14), senior Autumn Hepler (178.96) and junior Kelly Bintrim (173.8).

The Tornado boys return four of the top 10 as well in junior Jacob Cookson (190.29), senior Brandt Fleming (184.83), senior Matt Blose (181.67) and junior Cody Rosenbauer (180.30). Butler’s boys lost only one regular-season match last year.

Butler has 15 boys and nine girls on its roster.

“Both of these teams are loaded and we’ve got five freshmen trying to move up,” Fay said. “These teams should be as strong as ever.”

That’s bad news for the rest of the division.

“Butler is definitely a powerhouse and North Allegheny is always pretty good, too,” Knoch coach Tyler Hawk said. “We’ve got some good bowlers in our own right, though.”

Knoch’s boys finished 8-2 in league play last year and had the North Division’s top bowler in Kevin Hindman. Now a senior, he averaged 202.53 a year ago. Brett Miner carried a 182.10 average for the Knights.

The Knight girls finished 4-6 and were led by Erica Johns’ 180.33 average. Emily Rodgers, a senior, has shown ample improvement for the Knights.

“Emily averaged in the 120s last year, but she’s bowling in the 150s right now,” Hawk said. “We’ve got 16 boys and 11 girls on our roster.

“Kevin won the state singles title last year and we’re hoping to get a few more kids through to states this time around.”

Mars has a new coach in Ralph Jockel and the Planets are looking to boost their numbers. Mars will put a girls team on the lanes for the first time in two years. The boys were 4-6 last year.

Four juniors — led by Valerie Ceasare’s 135 average — and a freshman comprise the girls unit. Mars has six boys — five juniors and a freshman — and is led by Josh Bartley’s 160 average.

“The seniors who left last year were pretty good bowlers,” Jockel said. “This is more of a rebuilding year for us.”

Karns City has 15 boys and eight girls on its roster. The Gremlin boys were winless last season, while the girls were 2-8.

“We’re a small school playing against Quad-A schools for the most part,” Gremlins coach Denny Morrow said. “But our program offers our kids a chance to come to the lanes and enjoy themselves in a team setting.

“Soccer and football only ended recently for us, so we may get more kids.”

Freshman Grant Curdo and senior Matt Slagle — out for the first time — lead KC’s boys, while third-year seniors Nikki Ferris and Kristin Hepler top the girls unit.

Seneca Valley has 15 boys and one girl on the roster in its debut season under coach Terry Cochran.

Sarah Ahldren is the Raiders’ lone female bowler, while sophomores Brent Zasadni and Jonathan Elluinder — both averaging 158 — top the boys lineup.

“We’re not going to be on the bottom and I don’t see us being far from the top,” Cochran said. “We have pretty good expectations despite being a first-year program.”