Football Game Preview: Butler Golden Tornado vs. Wheeling Park Patriots

Two dominant backs in Mark Klemz and Brennan Wack are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Butler Golden Tornado will be playing at home against the Wheeling Park Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

If Butler beats Wheeling Park with 35 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Golden Tornado claimed a resounding 35-8 win over Taylor Allderdice. That looming 35-8 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Golden Tornado yet this season.

Deacon Simko was the offensive standout of the matchup as he picked up 55 receiving yards and one score, and also rushed for 33 yards.

Meanwhile, Wheeling Park faced Fairmont Senior in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Patriots fell just short of the Polar Bears by a score of 45-42. The Patriots have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Butler will need to focus on slowing down Jay Bordas, one of several Wheeling Park players who made an impact when they last played. He threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in one TD on the ground. Owen Dobrzynski-Hines was Bordas' top target, picking up 104 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

The victory (which was Butler's third in a row) raised their record to 6-2. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 38.0 points over those games. As for Wheeling Park, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-3.

Butler was dealt a bruising 47-20 loss at the hands of Wheeling Park in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Wack, who rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries, and also picked up 64 receiving yards. Now that the Golden Tornado know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.