The road to California University of Pennsylvania from Langley High School was filled with detours until the day Gary Butler took an unexpected ride with his father, Charles.

Gary was working construction at the time when his father woke him early one morning, told him to get dressed and took him on a drive to California's campus, where Charles had once done some construction work.

"I had no idea where we were going," the younger Butler recalled. "I was just happy to have a day off from work."

He met with administrators from California that summer day in 2003, a week or so after football practice had started. He liked what he saw and heard, and enrolled at California as a non-scholarship walk-on. He sat out that season as a redshirt.

Now a senior linebacker with an athletic scholarship, Butler was the 2007 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Defensive Player of the Year and anchor of the stingiest defense in Division II heading into Saturday's game against visiting Shepherd at noon in the championship round of the NCAA Division II Northeast Region playoffs.

Top-seed California (12-0) is making its first appearance in the playoffs as champion of the PSAC West. No. 2 Shepherd (10-1) finished first in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"It feels good to be recognized, to be appreciated," Butler said of being player of the year. "This has been my healthiest season. In turn, it has been my best. It feels good to finally be 100 percent. But what's most important is the defense all plays as a unit and is confident we can get it done. We're confident the guy next to [you] will make the play if you do your job."

Butler, who has grown to 6 feet 2, 240 pounds from a skinny 5-10, 175-pounder as a senior in high school, has 10 sacks and two fumble recoveries on a defense that allows 7.9 points, 52.6 yards rushing and 192.7 total yards per game.

"Everyone on the defense can hold up his end of the bargain," he said. "We have a lot of speed and nobody ever quits on a play."

Butler didn't start playing football at Langley until his senior season because he transferred from Perry Traditional Academy in 10th grade and was attached to baseball.

"We won one game my senior year," he said. "We beat Oliver."

Because Butler lacked the grades to go to a four-year college right away, he went to Community College of Allegheny County while he worked full-time in construction.

That's when his dad took him for a ride.

"I always loved football," said Butler, who is on track to graduate in May with a degree in liberal studies. "I knew I wanted to play football again."

He didn't know he would ever be playing on a football team as talented as these California Vulcans.

"We've got a lot of guys who can make plays," he said. "We've won one playoff game. We want to win another one Saturday. I would describe my career as up and down, but this season has been all up for me and California."