Seneca Valley hangs on as late field-goal attempt by Penn Hills is off target

By: Justin McCauley
Friday, August 26, 2022 | 11:52 PM

A back-and-forth game between the Class 5A Penn Hills and 6A Seneca Valley came down to the final play as Penn Hills kicker Owen Williams missed a 34-yard field goal to allow the Raiders to hang onto a 17-15 victory in Week Zero.

“It was an ugly win, but it works” Seneca Valley senior quarterback Graham Hancox said.

The Raiders took the lead early thanks to a 9-yard touchdown pass from Hancox, who finished 13 of 24 for 138 yards, to fellow senior Luke Lawson. A 20-yard field goal and a snap over the punter’s head and out of the end zone put Seneca Valley up 11-0 at halftime.

Penn Hills coach Charles Morris took the blame for the slow start that had his offense at 22 total yards on 15 plays with one first down in the first half. For how slow the first half was for the Indians, the third quarter was key, as in Amir Key. The junior running back accumulated 115 of his 134 rushing yards in the second half. He capped his effort with back-to-back touchdown runs of 53 and 17 yards to give Penn Hills the lead late in the third quarter.

“We want to be balanced, but our offense was starting to click as far as running the football,” Morris said. “Amir Key was rolling, so we wanted to stay with the hot hand.”

After an interception by the Penn Hills defense on the ensuing Raiders possession, Seneca Valley’s defense needed to come up with a big stop. Aiden Lyzcek delivered, hitting Julian Dugger right before the line to gain to force a turnover on downs.

“That was a huge stop” Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle said. “I thought that stop and the punt return to set up the touchdown were two really key plays tonight.”

The Raiders needed big plays, especially in the second half. A big return by Kai West to the Penn Hills 36-yard line followed by three successive run plays put the Raiders on the goal line. After previous stops inside Penn Hills 5-yard line in the first half, Hancox didn’t waste time, bulldozing his way into the end zone for the lead.

“It’s better to win games like that than lose them, and we move on,” Butschle said. “We are a work in progress.”

Penn Hills had a final gasp, but Williams’ field goal was off target.

Next week, the Raiders return home to face another 5A opponent, Peters Township. Penn Hills will have its home opener against new Class 5A opponent Norwin.

Tags: Penn Hills, Seneca Valley