Central Catholic’s young playmakers lead playoff-clinching win over Seneca Valley

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, October 22, 2022 | 12:18 AM

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Central Catholic could’ve accepted a penalty for an out-of-bound kickoff and taken the ball at the 35-yard line, but instead told Seneca Valley to re-kick.

Playing timid wasn’t an option.

With their playoff hopes on the line Friday night, the Vikings asked their young playmakers to make plays. Sophomore Xxavier Thomas returned that re-kick 88 yards for a touchdown, quarterback Payton Wehner passed for more than 300 yards, and receiver Peter Gonzalez scored twice as Central Catholic defeated host Seneca Valley, 28-25, in a crucial Class 6A victory at NexTier Stadium.

Three unsuccessful extra-point attempts by Seneca Valley (6-3, 1-2), two failed kicks and an intercepted 2-point pass, were the margin of victory in a game with two 300-yard passers.

The win clinched Central Catholic (5-4, 2-2) a spot in the WPIAL playoffs as Penn State coach James Franklin flew in by helicopter and watched from the sideline.

“We always knew that we had the right tools and the right players to go out there and make plays,” said Thomas, who also blocked an extra point. “We just had to execute. Tonight, we did.”

His second-quarter kickoff return gave Central Catholic a 14-13 lead it never lost.

Wehner completed 17 of 29 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns — both to Gonzalez, one of the players Franklin was surely there to see. Gonzalez, a 6-foot-3 junior with Penn State among his offers, caught seven passes for 130 yards with touchdowns of 55 and 15 yards.

Sophomore Amari Shields added a 10-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth for a 28-19 lead. But against a Seneca Valley defense known for its size and strength up front, the Vikings came out throwing.

“We know our record isn’t where we wanted it to be,” said Wehner, a junior. “We knew we were always one step away, so we came out and battled tonight.”

Seneca Valley’s playoff hopes remain in limbo after the loss, despite a 306-yard passing game from senior Graham Hancox and three touchdown catches by senior Luke Lawson.

Hancox completed 23 of 29 attempts, and Lawson had nine receptions for 175 yards, scoring on catches of 24, 47 and 23 yards. Lawson’s third TD, with about five-and-half minutes left in the fourth, pulled the Raiders to within three points. But Central Catholic ran out the clock with eight running plays and a couple of quarterback kneel downs.

“They put the effort in all week,” Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said. “They wanted to get into these playoffs. They swelled up and got a victory.”

Seneca Valley could’ve also clinched a playoff spot with a win. The Raiders still can earn a spot with a win next week over North Allegheny or a Canon-McMillan victory over Mt. Lebanon.

“The message is we still have an opportunity to make the postseason,” Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle said. “We’ve got seven days to get ready. That’s the reality of it.”

Seneca Valley took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter on a 24-yard pass from Hancox to Lawson, a Navy recruit. The touchdown capped a 12-play, 67-yard drive.

The two seniors connected again early in the second quarter on a 47-yard touchdown pass to lead 13-7, but the extra point kick was blocked by Thomas.

That missing point proved costly. The Raiders tried for a two-point conversion in the third quarter and the pass was intercepted in the end zone. In the fourth quarter, another extra point kick was missed.

In a three-point game, those are costly.

“We can’t beat ourselves,” Butschle said. “Not that that team wasn’t a good team, but we did some things. We got ourselves behind the chains. A kickoff return for a touchdown is totally unacceptable. We missed a two-point conversion. We missed a PAT. You can’t beat a good team when you don’t execute those things.”

Immediately after Seneca Valley took a 13-7 lead, the Raiders kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. Central Catholic elected to make them kick again and Thomas returned it 88 yards for a 14-13 lead with 7:23 left before half.

The safe bet would’ve been to take the ball at the 35.

“Most teams do, but we’ve got a good return game,” Central Catholic special teams coach Ron Fuchs said. “I always argue to send them back five and kick it again.”

Totten agreed: “We love our kick returners.”

Central Catholic scored again late in the second quarter on a 15-yard catch by Gonzalez to lead 21-13 at half.

Seneca Valley opened the second half with an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive ending with a 7-yard run by Sean O’Shea. The junior took over at running back in the second half for injured teammate Kai West and carried eight times for 48 yards on that touchdown drive.

The Raiders tried for the tie but trailed 21-19 when Hancox’s two-point pass was intercepted.

Central Catholic drove into Seneca Valley territory twice in the third quarter but was denied both times on failed fourth-down tries. A strong goal-line tackle by Seneca Valley’s Brandon Page stopped the first drive. The second stalled at Seneca Valley’s 31 on a failed fourth-and-one pass, keeping Central Catholic’s lead at two points.

That changed early in the fourth quarter when a 10-yard touchdown run by Shields extended Central Catholic’s lead to 28-19. The run capped a four-play, 70-yard drive highlighted by a 50-yard catch by junior Vernon Settles.

This season has been an inconsistent one for Central Catholic, which lost low-scoring conference games to Mt. Lebanon, 17-16, and North Allegheny, 7-3. For the Vikings coaches, this win was an indication that the young team might be growing up.

“I’m hoping,” Totten said. “There are hardly any seniors out there. There are no more than two seniors on the field at any given time. It’s a good football team. They’re just young.”

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