JACKSON TWP — Over the last two seasons, Hank Royal became a battering ram for Seneca Valley's running game.

The recent high school graduate now sets his sights on becoming one in college.

Royal has decided to continue his academic and football careers at Mercyhurst University in Erie. He also considered Youngstown State, Slippery Rock University, Gannon and Alderson Broaddus.

“Mercyhurst is a great school and I know I'm going to get a quality education,” said Royal, who plans to major in either business management or finance. “It's not far, either, and my family is going to get to see me play. That is important to me.”

The injury bug bit Royal during his junior season, but he still led the Raiders with 666 rushing yards and scored seven touchdowns. He displayed his full potential last season in helping Seneca Valley to the WPIAL Class 6A championship game at Heinz Field, chewing up 1,269 yards on the ground and scoring 15 touchdowns. He added 30 receptions for 512 yards and eight more scores.

The thing that made Royal (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) truly special within the Raiders' offense was his ability to complement his bruising running style with a well-timed burst of speed.

“He became a north-south runner and was a real horse for us, but in the open field, he had the ability to pull away from defenders,” said former SV coach Dave Vestal, who coached Royal the last two seasons. “He ad-libbed on some plays, too, and those are things you just can't teach.

“He became more confident near the end of his junior year and it just carried over.”

Royal received several honors following his senior season. He was named to the Northern Seven Conference first team, was named second team all-state by Pennsylvania Football News and earned a spot on the Butler Eagle's Sweet 16 Offense. He, along with former SV teammate Eric Hudanick, an offensive lineman, will be playing in the Midwestern Athletic Coaches Association Pennsylvania-Ohio All-Star Game later this month.

Royal acquired his running style early on.

“I started playing football when I was eight,” he said. “When I started, I was bigger and faster than everybody. Then, the other kids got as fast as I was and that is when I started to lower my shoulder. I like that style.”

Royal said his fondest memory while playing at Seneca Valley is last November's 28-27 victory over rival North Allegheny in the WPIAL semifinals. He scored three touchdowns in the win, including two on pass receptions.

The Raiders had dropped a 49-14 decision to the Tigers just four weeks prior to the rematch.

“That playoff game was our last chance to beat them and it's the one that counted most,” said Royal, who is excited about the offense he will be part of at Mercyhurst.

“They like to run the ball, then run play-action passes off of that,” he said. “They want to try and get me on the field as a freshman, so I don't think I'll be red-shirted.”

Mercyhurst's head coach, Marty Schaetzle, has guided the Lakers since taking over in 2002.

The Lakers have had two straight losing seasons, including 3-8 last fall. But Mercyhurst earned three straight winning campaigns from 2012-14, going 23-10 in that span.

Royal looks forward to helping to bring winning football back to the program.

“There's a great recruiting class coming in,” he said. “It's a great coaching staff and they're looking to make everybody better.”