With WPIAL football alignment set, Butler ‘on a positive path’ but will remain independent for 2 more years
BUTLER TWP — Butler football considered returning home to the WPIAL during the offseason.
But with PIAA enrollment classifications set and no change to WPIAL’s conference alignment coming after weeks of discussion, the Golden Tornado are decided they’re not quite ready for the reunion.
Butler will remain an independent with a 10-game schedule completed for this fall and will spend at least the next two years outside of WPIAL membership. The WPIAL announced the next two-year alignment Thursday.
“I hope we return for the next cycle (2028),” Tornado coach Eric Christy said. “Right now, we’re not ready.”
Butler finished 7-3 last year, its most wins in a season since 1992, and considered returning to WPIAL play this year. Being a Class 6A team hurt the Tornado.
“There’s no way to alter the (WPIAL) schedule because there aren’t enough teams in 6A to do so,” Butler athletic director Bill Mylan said. “We were hoping for some type of re-classification system. That was looked into, but it never materialized.”
Had the Tornado returned to the WPIAL, they would have faced the same schedule — opponents such as Central Catholic, North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, etc. — that resulted in lopsided losses, dwindling roster numbers and fading interest in the program. Those factors caused Butler football to leave the WPIAL in 2020 and move to District 10, then become an independent.
“In 6A, there was no wriggle room for us,” Christy said. “In terms of the WPIAL, it was that same schedule or no schedule.”
The two West Virginia schools Butler played the last couple of years, Wheeling Park and University, are not on the schedule this time. Another former independent foe, Connellsville, has returned to the WPIAL.
Baldwin went independent this year and is on Butler’s schedule. Other 2026 opponents are Shaler, Meadville, Taylor Allderdice, Austintown Fitch (Ohio), Hollidaysburg, Hickory, Karns City, Central Clarion and Erie High.
Mylan said Karns City “reached out to us. That game should bring a pretty good gate. I’m excited about our schedule. We should be competitive in every game. We’re doing the right thing for our football program.
“We’re still on a positive path.”
While Christy admitted playing a much smaller school in Class 2A Karns City isn’t ideal, he respects the quality of the Gremlins football program.
“They’ve been good for a long time,” he said. “Playing another local school, like we’ve played Slippery Rock and Seneca Valley in the past, is always fun. Those games can be measuring sticks in that if we don’t win those games, we’re not ready (for a WPIAL return).
“This schedule is more difficult than last year. That’s a good thing. We want to be challenged. That’s part of this process.”
Fox Chapel football considered going independent this year, but opted to stay in the WPIAL. Albert Gallatin and Uniontown are other former independent programs returning to WPIAL play.
“We’re (not) the only one that is staying out. But we’re the only 6A team in that group, too,” Christy said.
Baldwin would have been in WPIAL Class 5A this year had it not gone independent.
“We would have been in the top 5A league in the state,” Highlanders athletic director Tony Cherico said. “Our roster numbers were in the 30s last year and we were in the low 20s by season’s end, due to injuries.
“We didn’t want to leave, but we’re going to be playing a lot of freshmen next year and it’s a matter of keeping our students safe. That has to take priority.”
Cherico mentioned the argument “if football programs can play up due to their competition level, why can’t programs play down?
“But that’s bigger than the WPIAL. That’s a state-level thing, and it’s not going to happen.”
Christy said he has 30 to 35 football players — including those involved in other sports — working out in the weight room now. His goal is to have 25 kids per class on the football team.
“That’s 100 players,” he said. “We had about 60 players, grades 9 through 12, at the end of last season. We’re not there. We have work to do in that regard. We only have 20 kids playing football in fourth or fifth grade right now. How many of those will still be playing when they get to us?
“We’re reaching out to flag football players, trying to get them to try tackle. We need to pick up the numbers.”
