WPIAL Class 6A final: Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley place their championship hopes on lines

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, November 16, 2018 | 12:57 PM

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Ron Butschle rewatched the game film from Seneca Valley’s semifinal victory and afterward felt compelled to make Saturday phone calls to all five of his linemen.

That’s not his normal routine, he admits.

“Getting a phone call from your head coach never would have happened when I played,” the Raiders coach said. “Never. But that was before cell phones and facemasks.”

What he saw on film couldn’t wait. Seneca Valley’s unheralded line — a catalyst in the team’s “redemption” tour — was outstanding again in a 31-14 upset victory over No. 1 North Allegheny, and Butschle wanted them to know.

“As a coach you’re not always patting guys on the back,” he said. “But I thought they deserved it last week as a unit and as individuals. Each one of them played his best game.”

What’s their reward? This week they draw a championship game matchup against a Pine-Richland line that has two Division I recruits, three first-team all-conference picks and a reputation for being the best in the WPIAL.

Both teams like to run the football on offense and take pride in stopping the run defensively, so there’s a good likelihood that the WPIAL Class 6A title will be decided at the line of scrimmage when No. 2 seed Pine-Richland (9-2) faces No. 5 Seneca Valley (9-3) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Heinz Field.

“It’s a good matchup on both sides,” Pine-Richland coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “They want to play defense and run the ball, and that’s kind of what we want to do to. We’ve got a really good line and they’ve got a really good line. It’s going to be a battle.”

Pine-Richland’s front five include tackles Andrew Kristofic (6-6, 270) and Brian Bails (6-0, 295), guards Michael Katic (6-3, 280) and Tyler Rudduck (6-3, 275) and center Michael Dorundo (6-1, 260).

Seneca Valley’s offensive line features guards David Tkatch (6-2, 265) and Drew Robertson (6-2, 285), center Josh Kaltenberger (6-5, 270), and tackles Kevin Meeder (6-5, 275) and Marcus Might (6-6, 280).

Dorundo, Notre Dame recruit Kristofic and Indiana recruit Katic also play defensive line, as do Tkatch and Robertson, so they’ll face one another often on Saturday night.

Pine-Richland arrives at Heinz Field as the defending WPIAL champion, seeking its third title in five years. The Rams return five starters on defense and only three on offense, so they’re a different team than last season.

Seneca Valley, the WPIAL runner-up in 2016, makes its second championship appearance in three seasons.

Pine-Richland defeated Seneca Valley, 21-7, when the teams met in Week 8. The Rams, leaning on their line, rushed for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns — one at the end of a methodical 80-yard drive.

The Rams passed for just 23 yards.

Junior running back Luke Meckler had 216 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Sophomore quarterback Cole Spencer added 109 yards and two scores on 22 attempts.

Pine-Richland took a 21-0 lead.

“We’ve got to do the same things, continue to play great defense and get the ball back to our offense,” Kasperowicz said. “And then we’ve got to be able to run the football and rely on our horses to pave the way. That’s kind of where we hung our hat all season long.”

Seneca Valley was held scoreless in Week 8 until wide receiver Josh McLean tacked on a late 44-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

“They’re a very, very physical team,” Butschle said. “I don’t think our offensive line played anywhere near as well against them the first time as we did against North Allegheny on Friday night. I really hope things are finally clicking.”

Seneca Valley found its offense last week and strung together long touchdown drives of 75, 91 and 94 yards to upset top-seeded North Allegheny at home.

Senior running back Jake Mineweaser rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Raiders quarterback Gabe Lawson added 42 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and also threw an 11-yard touchdown in the 31-14 semifinal win.

The Raiders have turned these playoffs into a redemption tour of sorts. They lost to three teams in the regular season and already avenged losses to Central Catholic and North Allegheny with only Pine-Richland left unresolved.

“They’re on their revenge tour up there,” Kasperowicz said. “We’ve got to make sure they don’t complete Phase 3.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley