Preseason WPIAL favorites Central Catholic, Seneca Valley now fighting for playoff lives

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, October 20, 2022 | 7:09 PM

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Seneca Valley and Central Catholic were picked as preseason favorites to meet in the WPIAL Class 6A championship before anyone had played a game.

Yet, they’ll meet Friday night in a Week 8 matchup that could ultimately keep one out of the playoffs altogether.

The winner is safe. The loser is not.

“All of our kids and we as coaches, we’re certainly aware that if we win the game we’re in the playoffs,” Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle said. “If we don’t, we back ourselves into a corner. I know Central is fighting for their playoff life.

“Everybody is well aware of that.”

Seneca Valley (6-2, 1-1) hosts Central Catholic (4-4, 1-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in what feels like a must-win game, especially for the Vikings, since this is their conference finale. Seneca Valley has one more conference game remaining against North Allegheny (3-0) in Week 9.

“I think (this game) is everything to us,” Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said. “I think if we don’t win, we’re out.”

Here’s the situation: There are five teams in Class 6A and four qualify for the playoffs. North Allegheny (3-0) has already clinched a spot. Seneca Valley (1-1), Central Catholic (1-2), Mt. Lebanon (1-2) and Canon-McMillan (1-2) are fighting for the three remaining spots.

If Central Catholic loses Friday, the Vikings need Mt. Lebanon to defeat Canon-McMillan in Week 9. If Seneca Valley loses Friday, the Raiders need a Week 9 win over North Allegheny or a Canon-McMillan win over Mt. Lebanon.

Class 6A has the fewest teams of any WPIAL classification, but it’s maybe the most unpredictable right now.

“It’s a funny business anymore,” Totten said. “I don’t know. It seems like we’re all pretty even. Seneca Valley is good, and they’ve got a hot hand right now.”

Seneca Valley has won five in a row including a 53-14 nonconference win over North Hills last week. Central Catholic has lost three of its past five games but is coming off a thrilling 33-28 nonconference win over Penn Hills. The Vikings had their last-second field goal blocked, but returned the loose ball for a winning touchdown.

The dramatic walk-off win gave them a boost of energy at practice early this week, but Totten said it’s hard to predict whether that carries over to Friday’s game.

“I’ve given up trying to figure out how 16- or 17-year-olds are going to respond,” he said. “It remains to be seen.”

Central Catholic’s inconsistency this season can be attributed somewhat to its youth. The team’s starting lineup is full of juniors, sophomores and first-year starters, including a pair of 10th-grade running backs in Elijah Faulkner (94 carries, 340 yards, 3 TDs) and Amari Shields (85 carries, 339 yards, 3 TDs).

Their passing game starts with junior quarterback Payton Wehner, a 1,500-yard passer with 10 touchdowns. His top targets are also juniors: Vernon Settles (43 catches, 522 yards, 2 TDs) and Peter Gonzalez (20 catches, 326 yards, 3 TDs).

“We are very, very young,” Totten said. “There’s no more than two seniors on the field at any given time.”

Seneca Valley has a much older lineup.

The Raiders have a deep senior class with multiple players already committed to Division I colleges. Wide receiver/defensive back Luke Lawson and tight end/defensive end Aiden Lyzcek are headed to Navy. Leading tackler Chris D’Appolonia, a linebacker, is committed to Toledo. Two-way lineman Lucas Lambert is uncommitted but has FCS offers.

Combined, they headline a special senior class that came into the year with a lot of hype — maybe too much hype.

“I’d certainly love to tell you that wasn’t an issue,” Butschle said. “I think when you’re dealing with 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids, they’re going to be very aware of what the media is saying as far as the team and individual talent. We have a very talented team and a very good football team. The problem is when they put you in the championship game before the end of August, it’s hard to tell kids, ‘Don’t listen to that.’”

Seneca Valley lost in Week 1 to Peters Township, 30-27, and in Week 2 to Canon-McMillan, 33-21. The loss to Canon-Mac was a conference loss that put the Raiders in an early hole in the standings.

They’ve won five in a row since, including a conference win over Mt. Lebanon. Senior quarterback Graham Hancox has passed for 1,564 yards and 15 touchdowns. Lawson is his top receiver with 41 catches, 620 yards and seven touchdowns. In the backfield, the Raiders have leaned on senior Wyatt Craver (117 carries, 537 yards, 5 TDs) and junior Kai West (32 carries, 331 yards, 5 TDs).

The Raiders have outscored their past five opponents, 174-42.

“I think those two losses really were a big reality check for us,” Butschle said. “I love the way our kids and our coaches have responded. … We had a turning point with that Canon-Mac loss in the way we went about preparing, both physically preparing on the field and mentally how we approached things.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic, Seneca Valley