State of the Program: Butler football riding into 2023 season with high hopes

Butler’s resurgence and goal to return to the top as a small-school power officially got underway during the 2021 season.

That year, the Bulldogs finished with their first losing record (4-6) in seven years while fielding a team comprised of mostly underclassmen.

Fast forward two seasons and Butler is now a year removed from a 7-3 campaign and a trip to the Group 1 semifinals. This year’s Bulldogs are thinking big.

“A number of our starters last year were playing their second full season. They were obviously more comfortable having that full year under their belts,” coach Jason Luciani said. “But now a lot of guys are entering their third and some their fourth year on the field and we’re noticing the difference.”

Last fall, the Bulldogs lost two regular-season games on the road at Park Ridge (26-21) and Wood-Ridge (20-7) before falling to Weequahic, 45-28 in a sectional semifinal.

“Our two regular-season losses both came in the final minutes of the game,” Luciani said. “We grew up a lot as a team last year and learned that we must execute if we want to finish the job. I think last year was a good step in the right direction.”

The tradition

Butler has won eight NJSIAA sectional titles, the last in 2018 when the Bulldogs defeated Park Ridge, 35-28, in North 1, Group 1.

Butler claimed consecutive North 2, Group 1 titles in 1982 and ‘83, but its glory years came in the 1990s when the small Morris County school won five in an eight-year period, highlighted by four straight championships from 1994-97.

Since 1974, Butler has qualified for the postseason 46 times and has 14 state final appearances.

The challenge

The Bulldogs are fairly young with several juniors and sophomores expected to take on key roles on both sides of the ball.

“We’re not very deep, but that’s usually the situation for most small schools,” Luciani said. “Although there’s several seniors and experienced upperclassmen in the mix, we’ll still rely on some underclassmen and first-year starters to get the job done.”

Butler’s schedule is loaded with some of the top small-school programs in North Jersey playing alongside the Bulldogs in the competitive NJIC Patriot division.

“There’s no easy road competing in the NJIC,” Luciani said. “We’re not going to look ahead. We’ll be taking it one game at a time. Our priority is Week 1 at home against Wood-Ridge, a team we lost to last year in a close game.”

Expectations

With several three-year starters and experienced players returning, the Bulldogs expect to continue on their success and build on what they started last fall.

Senior dual-threat quarterback Bobby Battipede returns for a third season under center after throwing for 767 yards and 12 touchdowns, and rushing for 549 yards and five scores last fall.

“Bobby is a natural leader and he makes everyone around him better. He works hard and is everything we want in a quarterback,” Luciani said. “Bobby is a pleasure to watch. He commands the huddle and dictates our offense.”

Senior Kyle Perry, a three-year starter, is the featured running back and senior Jason Murray and junior Luca Toriello control the front line. Junior PJ Coffey (WR/CB) is a two-way standout who led the Bulldogs with three interceptions.

2023 schedule

Aug. 31: vs. Wood-Ridge

Sept. 8: at Wallington

Sept. 16: at St. Mary

Sept. 22: vs. Park Ridge

Sept. 29: vs. Pompton Lakes

Oct. 6: NJIC game TBD (away)

Oct. 13: NJIC game TBD (away)

Oct. 20: NJIC game TBD (away)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Butler HS NJ football riding into 2023 season with high hopes