BUTLER TWP — The Butler Area High School football team qualified for the District 10 playoffs a month ago.

The Golden Tornado soon will learn whether they will be permitted to participate.

Last winter, the WPIAL (District 7) and PIAA — the latter governing Pennsylvania high school athletics — ruled Butler ineligible to participate in postseason play through any district other than the WPIAL. After its appeal to the PIAA was denied, the Butler Area School District opted to challenge this decision in court.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday in Courtroom 7 of the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. It is open to the public.

“We filed an enjoinment application with the court against this action,” said attorney Tom Breth, representing the Butler school district. “The PIAA bylaws and constitution state specific reasons why an athletic program should not be permitted to participate in the playoffs. None of those reasons apply to Butler.

“The football program has done nothing wrong here. This is unwarranted discipline against a high school team. There is no basis to punish this football program.”

Butler football opted out of District 7 following the 2019 season in efforts to build its roster numbers and play a schedule more conducive to the state of its football program. Its roster size nearly tripled the following year.

Last year, Butler posted its first winning regular season since 1997 and competed in the District 10 Class 6A title game, losing to McDowell in Erie. There was no movement by the PIAA to prevent that game from taking place.

PIAA spokeswoman Melissa Mertz said the organization can offer no comment at this time because “this is active litigation we’re dealing with.”

She added that the PIAA plans to have representation at the hearing.

Butler athletic director Bill Mylan figures to be at the hearing as well.

“I’m sure I’ll be there to address some issues,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen at this point (in regards to the playoffs). I wish I did.”

Mylan plans to raise the point that athletic teams from outside the WPIAL have been permitted to join that district in different sports and qualify for the playoffs, yet teams leaving the WPIAL are not permitted to qualify for postseason play in another district.

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Mylan said.

Butler closes its football regular season Friday at Greater Latrobe. The Golden Tornado playoff game could be as early as the following weekend.

“I appreciate the way the school district has had our back all through this,” said Butler football coach Eric Christy. “Right now, we just want to know: Are we putting the gear away on Saturday or will we be getting ready to play another game?

“The uncertainty needs to end ... the sooner we know, the better.”