Garry Cathell is ready to make some headlines — this time in the sports section.
The new coach at Butler Area was involved in a severe traffic accident in late June, when a dump truck lost its brakes and totaled his Jeep Cherokee.
Cathell, 45, sustained head, shoulder and knee injuries. A photo of the wreck made the front page of the local newspaper.
"I'd moved to Butler a week earlier, and I was already in the news," he said. "I thought I'd make the headlines on the sports page."
Those should come later this fall.
For sure, one look at the roster will make Cathell's wrecked knee feel a lot better.
Butler returns 17 starters, including senior quarterback Jake Cuffman, game-breaking junior tailback Calvin Littlejohn, all-conference defensive end Clint Fleming, and inside linebackers Tyrell Sales and John Pribis.
The Golden Tornado are everyone's favorite pick for the turnaround program in the Quad North.
Cathell, who went 60-68-4 at Peters Township from 1988-2000, inherits a team that includes two of the Quad North's top juniors — Littlejohn and Sales — and draws from the largest enrollment in the WPIAL.
"It's a luxury coming into that situation," he said. "When you have 17 starters coming back, the only worry is about change."
Cathell is switching to a Wing-T offense, as he tries to lead Butler to the playoffs for only the second time in the past seven seasons.
The leader of the offense is Cuffman. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder had a terrific offseason and got tabbed as a possible Division I recruit after a strong Metro Index Camp.
"Jake definitely has the tools," Cathell said. "He's a great leader. He can do a lot of things for us."
Littlejohn rushed for 683 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore last year. He flashed signs of brilliance in a 218-yard game against Norwin.
Butler has size — the offensive line averages 6-2, 260 and the defense has 392-pound sopomore nose tackle Nate Hartung — and good quickness.
Cuffman, Littlejohn, senior running back Andy Fair, senior free safety Adam Collins, junior defensive back Justin Thomas, and Sales and Pribis all run the 40-yard dash in the 4.5-4.6 range.
"We have a lot of team speed," he said.
Sales already is the best linebacker at Butler in the past 10 seasons. Cathell said the second-team all-Quad North selection is the best linebacker he's coached in 15 years, including a pair of Virginia Tech recruits at Peters Township.
"He's a Division I player; there's no doubt about it," he said. "The sky is the limit. But the thing about it is that he doesn't have to get the job done himself."
Cathell said the players are determined to bring back some pride to the hill.
"They are working hard and they are real enthusiastic," he said. "Hopefully, we'll have a little luck and stay healthy and win some games."
