Defense key in Seneca Valley football team's success
The last time the Seneca Valley football team suffered a loss was Sept. 14. That Northern Eight Conference defeat came during the third game of the season and by way of a 45-3 decision against highly-touted North Allegheny.
The Raiders (10-1) quickly rebounded after the loss and steamrolled their way through the rest of the regular season and past their first two postseason opponents, Hempfield and Mt. Lebanon.
Behind quarterback Jordan Brown and running back Forrest Barnes, Seneca Valley’s offense has averaged 39.5 points against opponents this season. Defensively, the Raiders have held opponents to an average of 17.2 points.
Seneca Valley coach Don Holl believes his team’s defensive play has been a big reason for the Raiders’ success this season.
“Defense is obviously critical to winning,” Holl said. “You can be very good on special teams, on offense and the other facets of the game, but if you’re real good defensively and do everything right that makes things so much easier.”
The Raiders are coming off a 32-13 win over Mt. Lebanon in the Class AAAA quarterfinals and held the Blue Devils to just 216 yards of total offense. Seneca Valley’s defense, however, will likely face another challenging test this week against North Allegheny.
Advancing to a WPIAL semifinal game against the top-seeded Tigers, the Raiders will meet North Allegheny at 7:30 p.m. Friday at North Hills High School. North Allegheny is averaging 39.9 points a game this season.
The Raiders (10-1) quickly rebounded after the loss and steamrolled their way through the rest of the regular season and past their first two postseason opponents, Hempfield and Mt. Lebanon.
Behind quarterback Jordan Brown and running back Forrest Barnes, Seneca Valley’s offense has averaged 39.5 points against opponents this season. Defensively, the Raiders have held opponents to an average of 17.2 points.
Seneca Valley coach Don Holl believes his team’s defensive play has been a big reason for the Raiders’ success this season.
“Defense is obviously critical to winning,” Holl said. “You can be very good on special teams, on offense and the other facets of the game, but if you’re real good defensively and do everything right that makes things so much easier.”
The Raiders are coming off a 32-13 win over Mt. Lebanon in the Class AAAA quarterfinals and held the Blue Devils to just 216 yards of total offense. Seneca Valley’s defense, however, will likely face another challenging test this week against North Allegheny.
Advancing to a WPIAL semifinal game against the top-seeded Tigers, the Raiders will meet North Allegheny at 7:30 p.m. Friday at North Hills High School. North Allegheny is averaging 39.9 points a game this season.
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