In some situations in life, it is OK to be No. 2 -- just ask Seneca Valley senior left-handed pitcher Kyle Helisek.

To explain, Helisek is a brilliantly effective pitcher for the Raiders, going 6-1 in the regular season to help Seneca Valley to a 17-2 record, the Section 1-AAAA title and the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs.

But he isn't even the ace of his own staff.

Helisek, a Villanova recruit, is the No. 2 option behind right-handed ace Cory Mazzoni, who also constructed a 6-1 record and is headed to North Carolina State in the fall.

"I don't mind being the No. 2 guy," Helisek said. "Because Cory is a great pitcher and having him as a teammate is a great benefit."

The combination of Mazzoni and Helisek has been a great benefit to all involved with the Seneca Valley program. The Raiders won the Section 1-AAAA title and will play the winner of tomorrow's WPIAL first-round playoff game between Peters Township and Greater Latrobe next week in the playoffs.

In short, on most any other staff in the WPIAL, Helisek would be the ace -- and he knows as much.

"Cory has pushed me a lot and has made me better," Helisek said. "To stay up there in the rotation as the No. 2 guy right behind him is some motivation for me and I like where I am as the No. 2 pitcher.

"The thing that is the strength of our staff, though, is that Cory and I are two totally different pitchers. He is more of a power pitcher and I'm not."

Yes, but power isn't the only barometer of success, as Helisek can attest.

A 6-foot-1, 155-pounder, Helisek might not be the most physically imposing pitcher in the WPIAL, but he has been sitting most hitters down with a penchant for throwing strikes and working ahead in the count.

Helisek's fastball has been clocked at 85 mph, but he hangs his hat on keeping hitters off balance with his command of his curveball, circle changeup and slider.

"I think my changeup has been my out pitch," he said. "When I throw that, I have a lot of confidence in it and I know that, even if I don't pick up a strikeout with it, our defense can get me out of a lot of innings.

"I have learned over the past year or so that it is fine if a hitter wants to put the ball in play, because I feel like our defense is one of the best around."

Truth be told, Seneca Valley's team is one of the best around. The Raiders -- who are the defending PIAA Class AAAA champions -- came into this season much differently than they came into last year. When the Raiders went on that surprising march to the PIAA crown last year, it stunned many who didn't figure they would be one of the PIAA's elite teams.

But, as this season approached and then progressed, most everyone was of the understanding that the Raiders would be among the best in the WPIAL and PIAA. Through the regular season, they have lived up to the hype.

Helisek is hoping the next few weeks will culminate with Seneca Valley achieving at least one gold medal.

"Last year we weren't even on the map; I think we kind of came out of nowhere," Helisek said. "This year, it seemed like everyone knew what we had coming back and we were ranked high by everyone.

"So, yes, it was different in terms of expectations coming into this season. But, as a team, we have always had high expectations for ourselves."