BUTLER TWP — Two teams looking to continue positive trends with their respective football programs clash Friday night when Butler travels to Greater Latrobe.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

While the Golden Tornado (4-5) look to snap a four-game losing streak after qualifying for the District 10 playoffs for a second straight year, the Wildcats (5-4) have put together the program’s third five-win season since 2001. Greater Latrobe has qualified for the WPIAL 4A playoffs as the fourth-place team in the Big Seven Conference.

Butler and Latrobe have never played each other in football.

“Our open date on the WPIAL schedule occurred in this the 10th week,” first-year Latrobe coach Ron Prady said. “We went searching for an opponent (over the summer) for this week and looked up teams that recently left the WPIAL.

Butler was looking to fill out its schedule, too, so we found each other.“

Prady took over the Latrobe program after serving as an assistant coach with Penn-Trafford during the Warriors’ run to the PIAA 5A championship.

“We’ve got a fairly young team and I’ve pleased with the progress we’ve made this year. But we have a long way to go,” Prady said.

The Wildcats are led by senior running back Robert Fulton, who had 825 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground through the season’s first seven games. Sophomore quarterback John Wetzel only threw 52 passes through seven games, producing 477 yards and four touchdowns.

“They definitely run the ball more than throw it,” Butler coach Eric Christy said. “They have the ability to throw the ball, they just don’t do it all that much.”

Wetzel has also rushed for 345 yards and a pair of scores. He may throw the ball a bit more come Friday.

“John’s gained experience and he’s a good athlete, part of our running game,” Prady said. “We’re throwing the ball more now and he’s developed more confidence in that part of his game.”

The Wildcats are coming off a 54-14 loss to McKeesport. They began the season with victories of 55-0 over Derry Area and 36-33 over Franklin Regional, the latter a title contender in WPIAL Class 5A. Other wins have been lopsided triumphs over Trinity, Ringgold and Connellsville.

Butler quarterback Mac Schnur broke Justin Papania’s single-season school record for passing yards last week when he threw for 374 against McDowell. Schnur has thrown for 1,729 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 2022. He injured a knee Friday, but is expected to play this week.

Braylon Littlejohn caught 12 passes for 288 yards a week ago and has 30 catches for 520 yards and six TDs. Dashawn Cox has rushed for 448 yards and caught 37 passes for 410 yards and three scores.

“It’d be nice to see Mac reach the 2,000-yard mark in passing this year,” Christy said. “He’s played through injuries all year. Braylon began taking on a leadership role at halftime of the Westinghouse game. That’s been good to see.”

The Tornado have rushed for 1,204 yards as a team. Brock Popovich and center A.J. Baker are the team’s Co-Offensive Linemen of the Week.

Defensively, Connor McTighe leads the team with 55 tackles while fellow linebacker JunJun Andrada has 45. Cox has five quarterback sacks and four interceptions. McTighe, Terrell Holderman and Ethan Babay have three QB sacks each.

Butler’s defense has forced 23 turnovers through nine games. The Tornado will find out through a court hearing Thursday if they will be permitted to play in the District 10 playoffs next weekend.

“We’ve worn down against teams with bigger (roster) numbers and more depth than us,” Christy admitted. “Teams similar in depth to us, we’ve fared well against.”

Prady said he would likely rest a few players Friday in preparation for the WPIAL playoffs.

“I’m impressed with Butler, particular No. 9 (Schnur) and No. 5 (Littlejohn),” the Latrobe coach said. “They will be a good test for us.”