Much like father, Williamstown's Buttrey a leader
Thursday, November 30, 2006
By JEFF BERGREN - Charleston Daily Mail

It will be a very busy Saturday at Wheeling Island Stadium for the Buttrey family, with father and son preparing for state football championship games.

Fortunately, they will not have to face off against each other. They do have the added excitement of possibly celebrating separate titles by the end of the night.

To start the day, Parkersburg Coach Bernie Buttrey brings his top-ranked Big Reds into Wheeling to face Martinsburg in the Class AAA championship game at noon.

That night at 7, Buttrey's son, Travis, will be in the spotlight, playing for Williamstown against Wheeling Central for the Class A title.

Travis Buttrey, a Huff Award candidate as the best defensive player in the state, is not only enthused for his family but also for Wood County.

"It's been very exciting for me and very exciting to see my dad succeed this season," Buttrey said. "It's also exciting with two teams playing for a title from the small county we live in."

The elder Buttrey gets the additional bonus of being a coach for one title game before transforming into a fan and father later that night.

"Although we are experiencing this with different teams, we are both experiencing the same thing, and I'm so proud and so happy for him," the Parkersburg coach said. "No matter what happens with our game, I'll stay there and watch the single-A game.

"I'll become Travis' dad and get up in the stands and yell at the coaches and officials and enjoy the game."

Travis and the Yellow Jackets have a chance to avenge last year's 35-20 loss to Wheeling Central in the Class A championship game.

Williamstown has a state-record 56-game regular-season winning streak, but it has yet to win a state football title.

"This will be our second time playing (the Maroon Knights), and we will be a little bit more familiar with what they do," the younger Buttrey said. "They run basically the same thing they did last year. I think their quarterback (junior Alex Peluchette) likes to do a little bit more with the ball, and we have to key on that a little bit.

"Other than that, we just have to show up and play Jacket football."

With father and son involved in the same sport, the Buttrey's rarely talk Xs and Os, other than the occasional conversation. Bernie once was the head coach at Williamstown and trusts the coaching staff at his son's high school.

"Having been a part of the Williamstown program for so long and having coached with the guys up there, I know he's getting excellent coaching," Buttrey said. "Very seldom do I say anything about football. "I watch him as a parent and root for the team, and we don't sit down and talk about it. I don't critique him or anything. I let his coaches coach, and I just try to father him."

Buttrey did not coach his son during his time at Williamstown. Before Travis entered high school, the Parkersburg job opened. Travis lives with his mother and chose to stay at Williamstown.

"The reason I left was because I wanted to try my hand at triple-A football," Bernie Buttrey said. "I had been at Williamstown as an assistant for 14 years and came back as the head coach.

"Travis was at junior high at the time and in the back of my mind I was hoping he would come down here ... They had so much success and he was doing so well there that he chose to stay.

"I support that decision."

Knowing his father has ties with Williamstown and trusts the Jacket coaches, Travis agreed there is little talk about football strategy.

"He knows I have a really good football staff in Williamstown and he let's them do what they do and he does what he does," the younger Buttrey said. "We talk a little bit about it but it's not that big of a deal."

Buttrey and Williamstown certainly will need all of the prowess they can muster against Wheeling Central. Both teams are 12-0 this season and advanced to the title game with impressive wins.

The Yellow Jackets defeated previously unbeaten Mount Hope, 21-6, and the Maroon Knights cruised past Greenbrier West, 57-22.

Wheeling is led by senior running back Brandon Tucker, who has rushed for 1,984 yards with 37 touchdowns and more than 2,000 all purpose yards.

Central's quarterback, Peluchette, surpassed 1,000 yards passing in the semifinals and has thrown 11 touchdowns. Defensively, Wheeling has allowed only six touchdowns this season.

The Maroon Knights are averaging 53 points per game in the playoffs and have a chance to tie Sistersville High (1984-86) with three consecutive Class A state titles.

Buttrey leads his own all-star cast with linemen Ross Elder and running back Benji Powers. Powers has 1,022 yards on the ground and 14 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Brandon Roberts has thrown for more than 1,200 yards and 17 scores.

The Yellow Jackets have four players with more than 100 tackles, led by Buttrey with 154.

"Benji runs real hard and I think he's a real good back for us," Travis Buttrey said. "Ross Elder throws it out there on the line every play. He's a leader for us and a big-time playmaker. All of us together are a pretty good football team."

As far as bragging rights go, father and son agree there will be none of that regardless of the outcomes Saturday. Bernie Buttrey actually has been a bit envious of his son with Williamstown's recent success.

"I've been a little bit jealous of him the past three years; he's played for two state championships, while I sat in the stands and watched them all," Buttrey said. "We thought it would be kind of neat competing for state championships together, and, fortunately, it's in his senior year when it's happened and we are excited about it.

"There's really not much bragging that goes on between the two of us. Their record is so outstanding at Williamstown ... They do such a good job.

"We are proud of our season here; we're 13-0 and have a chance to be the second team in Big Red history to go 14-0. We can kind of brag with them this year."

The elder Buttrey also sees another comparison between he and his son.

"Travis hates to lose about as bad as anybody I've seen," the Parkersburg coach said. "I'd like to think he gets that from me."