JACKSON TWP — There are two ways Seneca Valley's football team can be guaranteed a spot in the postseason.

Either a Raider win Friday against Shaler or a Penn Hills loss to Central Catholic Oct. 28 will do the trick.

Head coach Dave Vestal wants his players to take matters into their own hands.

“We want to get back on track with a win at home,” said Vestal, who watched his team suffer a 49-14 loss at North Allegheny last week. “Our focus this week is to work on fundamentals. We have a good system in place and we just need to let the kids go out and play.”

The Raiders (4-3, 2-3) found themselves on the ropes in the first half after allowing two long scoring drives to NA. Seneca had to abandon the running game it takes so much pride in, with senior halfback Hank Royal rushing for a season-low 26 yards on just six carries.

“We had intensity when we took the field,” said Vestal, “but NA won the toss and took the ball right down and scored. We didn't answer and that was key.”

Royal has reached 100 yards rushing in four games this season and now has 696 yards to his credit. The Raiders will look to get him rolling once again.

“We're worried about their quarterback (Jack Cook) and halfback,” said third-year Shaler coach Jon LeDonne. “Both are really good players.”

The winless Titans (0-8, 0-5) have had trouble stopping teams on the ground and through the air, getting outscored 333-37 in their eight games. Last week, Shaler bowed at Pine-Richland, 42-0.

“It's been a long season and we've faced a lot of injuries,” said LeDonne. “One positive is that a lot of young guys are getting experience. That's going to pay off down the road.”

LeDonne has turned to freshman Daren Mizgorski as his starting quarterback.

“He took over in Week 3,” LeDonne said. “He's got size (6-foot, 175 pounds), a decent arm and can run. As with any freshman, he has made some mental mistakes. Hopefully, as he gets more playing time, he can start to eliminate those.”

Another underclassman, sophomore Jake Pollak, is the starting tailback. All aspects of Shaler's offensive attack have suffered due to a lack of continuity up front.

“We've had a lot of injuries there and we've had to shuffle guys around,” said LeDonne. “We're not where we need to be.”

Vestal knows that Shaler is a desperate team and he is reminding his players of that fact.

“Shaler uses a lot of unbalanced fronts and trick plays,” he said. “We have to be prepared for anything.”

Shaler leads the all-time series 20-16. The Raiders have won five straight games in the series, including a 27-0 decision last season.