District 10 has restructured its football schedule, reducing the Butler and Slippery Rock slates to six games.

The revised schedules were announced Monday. The Golden Tornado and Rockets are playing three teams twice each, with the regular season concluding the weekend of Oct. 16-17.

“We were told the district may begin playoffs as early as Oct. 23,” Slippery Rock athletic director Dan Follett said. “There's no sense in trying to schedule any additional games right now.”

Butler and Slippery Rock were originally scheduled to close the regular season against each other on the latter's Senior Night.

Eli Christy, an assistant coach at Slippery Rock, is Butler head coach Eric Christy's brother. Eric Christy's daughter is a senior in the Rockets' marching band.

“I'm disappointed that game got taken away,” Butler coach Christy said. “We had a nice county rivalry going with Seneca Valley and we were hoping to get one started with Slippery Rock.”

Instead, Butler will play three Erie schools — Cathedral Prep, McDowell and Erie — twice each. The Tornado open the season Sept. 11 at Cathedral Prep.

Butler home games are Sept. 18 vs. McDowell, Oct. 2 against Cathedral Prep and Oct. 16 against Erie. One of its road games — Sept. 26 at Erie — is on a Saturday.

“Some officials have opted out, so a few games in the district have to be played on Saturday,” Christy said.

Butler athletic director Bill Mylan is in the process of trying to find a couple of tentative opponents to play late in the season.

“Teams are permitted to find more games, but it will be difficult,” Mylan allowed. “No one's quite sure how the playoff format is going to work just yet.

“The top 6A team may get a bye while the other two play each other. We have to wait and see how all this plays out.”

Teams that do not make the playoffs may schedule more regular season games.

Slippery Rock home games are Sept. 11 against Sharon, Sept. 26 against Hickory and Oct. 9 against Grove City. The Rockets play each team on the road as well.

Slippery Rock has two Saturday games, both against Hickory.

“This situation is not ideal,” Follett admitted. “It's just the hand we're dealt ... sort of goes with the year.”

Christy agreed.

“We knew the district might go to this type of schedule, keeping teams in their own (enrollment) division,” he said. “From a playoff standpoint, it makes sense.

“I'd have preferred more local teams on the schedule, playing more teams. If we make the playoffs, we'll be playing the same team three times. That sounds kind of silly, but it's a silly year.”