LEECHBURG — Speed kills — and Butler is on the hit list.

The Golden Tornado open the 2007 football season at 7:30 p.m. Friday against a Kiski Area team loaded with fleet feet at the skilled positions.

"Our slowest kid among our skilled players runs a 4.7 40, and that's our tight end and our quarterback,"said third-year Cavaliers coach Chris Heater.

Kiski's attack begins with 6-foot-3, 202-pound senior quarterback Josh Vick. He threw for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns in 2006 before a knee injury requiring major surgery ended his season in Week 5.

But Vick is healthy and ready to pick up where he left off.

"His speed and agility are back to where he was before he got hurt, maybe even a little better,"Heater said. "He's physically bigger and stronger, too.

"Josh scored on a 35-yard run in our scrimmage against Mount Pleasant. The physical condition he's in right now. ... it's a tribute to how hard that kid has worked to get back.

"During his rehab, Josh put in a lot of extra work in the weight room and it's really paid off,"Heater added.

Vick already has been offered a full scholarship by the University of Akron. His top returning receiver, senior James O'Quinn, is attracting interest from Buffalo, Toledo and Pitt.

O'Quinn caught 25 passes for 502 yards last year. He runs the 40 in 4.3 seconds.

"Both of those kids want to raise their stock in the eyes of the recruiters,"Heater said. "They're primed for big years. O'Quinn is 6-feet-3. 175 pounds, and has a 34-inch vertical leap. He's got special talent."

Running back Bret Gunn runs the 40 in 4.23 seconds and tight end Zach Murdock runs it in 4.7 seconds. Other speedy receivers on the Cavaliers' roster include Clark Cribbs, Tyler Emmerson and Jeff Jackson.

Three of the five starting offensive linemen return from a year ago as well.

Kiski has eight starters back on offense and four on defense from a team that finished 4-6 while qualifying for the WPIALplayoffs out of the Quad East.

Top returnees on defense include O'Quinn at cornerback, Gunn at safety, Dallon Cline at tackle and Murdock at inside linebacker.

O'Quinn led the Quad East with six interceptions a year ago.

"Our big focus this offseason was trying to plug in the open spots defensively,"Heater said. "I feel like we've done that. We've had a bunch of guys working hard, challenging for spots."

Heater said the Cavaliers' goal is to find a way to qualify for the WPIALplayoffs again in a league that includes Gateway, Penn Hills and Woodland Hills.

"If we played in a different conference, who knows how we'd stack up?"he said. "But we don't. All we can hope to do is be competitive in our conference."

Kiski has lost its last two games to Butler — 26-0 last year and 24-14 in 2005 — and will be facing a radically different Golden Tornado team this time around.

"They have a lot of young kids and a lot of what they do mirrors what North Hills does,"Heater said. "I'm not surprised by that.

"They have good size along their offensive and defensive lines and they have a young kid (Cole Harvey) with nice feet at quarterback."