No quit in Canon-McMillan in comeback win over Seneca Valley

By: Ed Troup
Friday, October 3, 2025 | 11:59 PM

When Canon-McMillan interim coach Brian DeLallo stepped in for coach Mike Evans earlier this year as he took a leave of absence to battle cancer, the team had one goal each week: “Play for Mike.”

With that in mind, the Big Macs have played with an edge this season and just won’t quit regardless of the score or situation.

Canon-McMillan trailed Seneca Valley by 10 points with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter Friday night, but the Big Macs once again didn’t quit, scoring 14 unanswered points in a 33-29 comeback win in a Class 6A game at AHN Field at Big Mac Stadium in Canonsburg.

“The way these kids play so hard all the time, that is always in the back of their mind,” DeLallo said. “Play for Mike. These kids do not want to let him down, and they sure didn’t do that tonight. He will be really happy.”

The Big Macs (4-3, 2-1) used a nine-play, 80-yard drive finished off by a TJ Sabatucci 5-yard touchdown run with 7:40 left in the game to cut the lead to 29-26. After forcing the Raiders to punt on their next drive, Canon-McMillan looked to Braelon Wingfield, who broke an exciting 46-yard run to give the Big Macs a 33-29 lead with just 4:20 left.

The Raiders’ final drive fizzled out with a Big Mac stop past midfield with under a minute to play to give Canon-McMillan its fourth straight home victory. The Big Macs were wearing all black jerseys for the first time in the program’s history.

“We were just looking to make a big play in that fourth quarter and flip the momentum in the game,” DeLallo said. “Six-A football is a tough slog every night. There is no job in the world where you feel like this after a day in the office. It was a great finish.”

Seneca Valley (2-5, 0-3) struck first with 6:21 left in the opening quarter as quarterback Andrew Loebig hit Danny Drennan on a 27-yard touchdown pass, capping a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive.

The Big Macs then scored 19 unanswered points to take control. Sabatucci lined up in a rare wildcat formation and drove into the end zone from a yard away with just 45 seconds left in the opening quarter. Canon-McMillan missed the two-point conversion try and Seneca Valley held a 7-6 lead going into the second quarter.

Canon-McMillan took its first lead, 9-7, on a 22-yard field goal by Rhys Maentz with 9:59 left in the second quarter.

On the next drive by Seneca Valley, Loebig was intercepted by Logan Logsdon at the Canon-McMillan 15-yard line. The Big Macs wasted no time in extending their lead as Ty Jansma hit Ethan Campoli on a 15-yard strike to make it 16-7 with 9:06 left before halftime.

Maentz then hit his second field goal of the night, from 41 yards, and the Big Macs held a 19-7 advantage at the half.

The Raiders started off the second half with a defensive spark they needed to get back into the game when Loebig intercepted Jansma on the first play of the third quarter and Seneca Valley had the ball at the Big Macs 20-yard line. Four plays later, Cayden Parker scored on a 3-yard run to cut the Canon-McMillan lead to 19-14 with 10:20 left in the third quarter.

The Raiders’ offense stayed hot on its next offensive series with Loebig finding Adam Gehm on a 16-yard scoring strike and followed it with a two-point conversion pass, giving Seneca Valley a 22-19 lead.

Loebig hit Parker on a 14-yard pass with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter to cap 22 unanswered points with the Raiders leading 29-19.

“Give credit to Seneca Valley. They did a nice job tonight,” DeLallo said. “They are a much improved team as (coach Don Barclay) is doing a really good job with that program.”

Parker finished the game with 127 yards rushing on 22 carries and two touchdowns to lead the Raiders. Jansma completed 12 of 22 passes for 152 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Seneca Valley outgained the Big Macs 273-240 while both teams battled penalties all night as several post-whistle unsportsmanlike calls were made on both teams. Seneca Valley finished the game with 12 penalties for 273 yards, while Canon-McMillan ended with seven penalties for 67 yards.

“We have good mojo here at home right now,” said DeLallo, whose team is 4-0 at home. “The next home game will be a big one, so hopefully we can keep the success going here.”

That next home game for Canon-McMillan won’t be until Oct. 24 when the Big Macs host Central Catholic. Canon-McMillan hits the road for the next two weeks at North Allegheny next week and at Norwin on Oct. 17.

Seneca Valley will travel to Hempfield next week for another Class 6A matchup.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Seneca Valley