Biography:

     Coach Scott Stoner has just completed his 30th season as the Head Coach of the Golden Tornado Wrestling Program. In 1993, Stoner inherited a two- year old program that had earned a 3W-23L dual record. Upon completion of the 2022-2023 season, Coach Stoner has compiled a dual meet record of 433 wins and 187 losses. Coach Stoner currently ranks 1st in career wins in the WPIAL among active
coaches, and is 3rd all-time in WPIAL wrestling history.

     Under Coach Stoner’s direction, the Golden Tornado has won 33 tournaments, including 4 of the 5 team titles the team competed in the 2022-23 season. The teams have appeared in the WPIAL Team Championship Tournament 19 times including 2022-23.  The team finished the 2022-23 season with a 21 Win and 2 Loss dual meet record. The team finished ranked #5 in the WPIAL AAA, with 38 teams competing in that division. Coach Stoner and the GT advanced 8 of 11 individuals from the Section 3 Tournament to the WPIAL AAA Individual Tournament in 2022-2023.  He has produced thirty-six Section 3 AAA champions, 213 WPIAL qualifiers, 2 WPIAL champions, 12 state qualifiers, 4 PIAA state place winners, and a 2X NCAA All American.  Coach Stoner was voted Section 3 AAA Coach of the Year in 1998-99, 2021-22, 2022-23 and WPIAL AAA Coach of the year in 2021-22. Coach Stoner was inducted into the Butler High School Hall of Fame in 2022 with Butler Wrestling standout Cole Baxter also in that class.

     Coach Stoner is a 1986 graduate of Southmoreland High School where he won Section and Westmoreland County championships at 105 pounds during his senior season. Coach Stoner became a four-year starter at 118-126 pounds with the Division 1 Slippery Rock University Wrestling Team. During that time, he was under the direction of coaching legend and current Butler Assistant Coach Fred Powell. He compiled an 89-41-3 record in four seasons and was a two time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) finalist.  In 1991, Stoner qualified for the Division 1 NCAA Championships by finishing second at 126 pounds in the Eastern Regional National Qualifier.   Stoner went 3 wins and 2 losses at the Division 1 National Championships at the University of Iowa, but came up short of All-American status by dropping an 8-5 decision in the medal round.

     Coach Stoner graduated from Slippery Rock University in 1991 with dual B.S. degrees in Health and Physical Education Teaching, and Sport Management. Coach Stoner went on to coach for two seasons at SRU and earned a Master of Science Degree in Athletic Administration. He has been a Health and Physical Education Teacher in the Butler School District for the past 30 years. He lives in Oakland Township, with his wife Randi, his sons Saxon, Sutton, and his dog Hudson.

Biography:

     Coach Powell has just completed his 13th season with The Golden Tornado. Coach Powell mentored Coach Stoner as a wrestler at Slippery Rock University from 1986-1991 and is credited by Coach Stoner as being one of the most influential figures in his life. He is thought by many to be one of the great educators in coaching wrestling, and is highly recognized by wrestling enthusiasts and historians in any gym he walks into. Coach Powell was voted the Section 3 Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020-21 and 2022-23, and also received the WPIAL Assistant Coach of the Year for his efforts in both seasons!

     He began wrestling in the 9th grade and was a Virginia State Champion for Granby High School in Virginia wrestling for legend Billy Martin Senior. Granby High School went on to win 21 state titles in 22 years. His collegiate career highlights are numerous and are topped by his 1964 NAIA Collegiate National Championship and the vote of Most Valuable Wrestler, and a 1964 NCAA Division 1 Collegiate National Championship while wrestling for Lock Haven. While at Lock Haven Coach Powell wrestled with, and was coached by friend and Granby Alum Gray Simons, who won 3 National Titles at Lock Haven and went on to wrestle for the United States in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. Coach Powell went on to compete at the international level and placed 5th in the 1966 FILA World Freestyle Championships for the United States.

     After a brief time coaching at West Point, Coach Powell went on to assume the duties of Head Wrestling Coach at Slippery Rock University. He held this position at S.R.U from 1967-1991. He completed his tenure there with a career with a record of 215-105-4 in 23 seasons.  He coached eleven NCAA Division 1 All-Americans and twelve All-Americans in the Collegiate Division.  One wrestler, Stan Dziedzic went on to win the Bronze Medal in the 1976 Olympics and was also a World Champion.  Many of his former wrestlers have gone on to become successful coaches at the high school and collegiate levels.

     In addition to his collegiate coaching career, he also coached the Australian National Team, and coached in Hungary and New Zealand. In addition, he coached a High School World Elite Freestyle Team to two World Championships. Coach Powell was inducted into Slippery Rock University Hall of Fame, the Lock Haven University Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime Service to Wrestling. This past year he was elected to the Butler County Hall of Fame. He was named NCAA College Division 1 Coach of the Year in 1971. 

     After he resigned from his collegiate coaching career, he began a wrestling program at Slippery Rock High School in 1998 and continued there until 2006. He developed many Sectional, Regional, and District Champions, along with several outstanding State Place Winners.

Biography:

Coach Alex Evanoff joined our staff for his 5th season this year. Coach Evanoff was a standout at Butler High School from 1998-2002. Evanoff was a three-time section placewinner & WPIAL Qualifier and won a Section 3 title in 2002. That season he placed 4 th in the WPIAL meet and just off the third-place finish at the time that would have punched his ticket to the PIAA State Tournament. Evanoff finished his high school career with 101 victories, one of only twelve wrestlers to reach the 100-win plateau at Butler.

     After high school, Evanoff moved on to earn his degree at Waynesburg University and was a four-year starter for the Yellowjackets. There, he was voted a team captain three times. While at Waynesburg, he also won a Presidents Athletic Conference Championship.

     Upon graduation from Waynesburg, he began his career as a youth minister and coached at Jefferson Morgan High School. In 2015, he assisted in coaching Jefferson Morgan to a 6 th place finish at the state tournament. Jefferson finished as the section champions three times and a team top four WPIAL finish three times. Individually, he coached a four time PIAA State Champion, as well as several others to multiple state place winning performances. Alex currently lives in Butler with his wife Sara, his son Luca, and his daughter Mila. He is currently employed at First United Methodist Church and Wrestling Mindset.

Biography:

     Coach Caudill joined the staff this season for his 4th year as an assistant coach. Coach Caudill is a Butler Graduate and a Butler success story. Blake joined the wrestling program in junior high in 7th grade. Blake went on to win 128 varsity matches as a 4-year starter with the Golden Tornado despite his late start. He currently ranks as number 2 on Butler’s all-time win list with those 128 victories, and is also 2nd in career pins with 75 falls. Blake was a 4-time section place winner and WPIAL Qualifier and won the section his sophomore and junior year. He placed 3rd at the WPIAL Tournament his senior season and was a PIAA State Qualifier that year.

     Coach Caudill went on to wrestle at Division 1 Eastern Michigan University where he was a 2-year starter for the Eagles at 125 pounds. While at Eastern Michigan he was recognized for All-Academic Team Honors by the Mid-American Conference (MAC). He currently is a Registered Nurse at North Hills Passavant Hospital. He is also working on earning a degree as a Nurse Anesthetist.