Entering halftime against North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals, Seneca Valley headed toward its locker room only to run into a locked door, having to wait for it to be unlocked before they entered for the break.
It was the second-hardest wall they ran into all night.
The Raiders could muster only 81 yards against the Tigers defense Friday night. It certainly didn’t help that Seneca Valley started its third-string quarterback, sophomore Graham Hancox. Even still, North Allegheny’s defense, which entered the matchup allowing an impressive 41 rushing yards per game this season, held strong, allowing no points from the Raiders offense.
Meanwhile, the Tigers offense patiently wore down the game, using an impressive ground attack to score twice in the first half and once more in the second. Their only mistake was a fourth-quarter fumble that resulted in an 85-yard scoop-and-score for Seneca Valley.
In the end, North Allegheny proved why it is the top seed in Class 6A as it overwhelmed the Raiders, 21-7, clinching its first trip to the Class 6A final since 2012.
“Our kids handled it,” North Allegheny coach Art Walker said after the game. “Our coaches were awesome, but our kids handled it, and they get all the credit.”
Right from the start it was clear that it would be a defensive battle. Seneca Valley got the ball first but couldn’t muster anything, really.
Then, the Tigers drove inside the Raiders 10, but Seneca Valley defensive end Josh Miller came roaring around the right side to sack North Allegheny senior quarterback Greg Phillips twice in a row to force a pooch punt from the Tigers.
Eventually, though, North Allegheny found its success with the run game. Junior JR Burton, who led the way with 95 yards on 17 carries, was joined by seniors Khalil Dinkins, Nathan Hoke and Mason Kress to total 227 rushing yards.
The most important came at the very end of the first half. Greg Phillips led the Tigers downfield, completing two passes for big first downs.
They worked the ball down to the 1 with 10 seconds left in the half, and Hoke punched it in from there, tallying his second touchdown of the game and giving his team a 14-0 advantage heading into the half.
“If they don’t score before halftime, I think it might even be a different story,” Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle said. “But we couldn’t get them off the field on third down, and that score before halftime, that was a little bit demoralizing.”
While it certainly may have been a different game without that the score, the Raiders simply couldn’t take advantage of the stops they did get. Butschle said Hancox started because they were hoping for an offensive spark that had been missing with second-string quarterback Brian Olan the past couple of games.
That didn’t work. Neither did the return of leading rusher Ethan West, who ran for just 35 yards on 11 carries. Even when Seneca Valley did earn first downs, it was only by a yard or so, with penalties and negative plays preventing it from establishing long possessions.
Really, North Allegheny won by achieving far more big plays. Burton had a 59-yard run on the first touchdown drive. Dinkins, who just recently committed to Penn State, made some tough, flashy runs, including a 12-yard score in the third quarter.
Walker called the game plan “staying patient,” after the game. They did that Friday, and because of that, their wait to return to the WPIAL Class 6A final now is over, too, as they secured a matchup with Central Catholic next week.
“I’m excited for [the players] and just ecstatic that we’ve got this opportunity for our community,” Walker said.
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak.
First Published: October 31, 2020, 2:43 a.m.
