This is one in a series of articles previewing this Friday night's high school football games

The term “must-win” is used far too often in sports, but that's exactly what is facing Seneca Valley this week.

If the Raiders are to qualify for the WPIAL football playoffs for the third straight year for only the second time in program history, they must win their final two Northern Seven Conference games, beginning with Friday's home contest against North Allegheny.

SV (1-5, 1-3) is coming off a 27-14 non-conference loss to Bethel Park.

“In the back of my mind, I have done the math (regarding the playoff chances),” said Raiders' coach Ron Butschle. “But we are on a three-game losing streak and are just looking to get a win, no matter who we are playing. If we play well, we will have a chance to do that.”

While the Raiders are trying to end their losing skid, North Allegheny enters the game riding a four-game winning streak, most recently a 27-16 victory over Penn Hills last week. The Tigers (5-2, 3-1) can clinch a playoff berth with a win over SV.

NA's two defeats came last month against Bethel Park (35-15) and Central Catholic (14-7).

“We were battling some injuries earlier in the season,” said NA coach Art Walker Jr. “We turned things in the right direction after losing to Bethel. We played much better against Central Catholic and have been playing more physical.”

Senior Luke Trueman is in his first year as NA's starting quarterback and has totaled 696 passing yards and seven touchdowns. He's added 501 rushing yards and two scores.

“He's come a long way,” Walker said. “He has a good grasp of the offense, is a good athlete and is very competitive. If he doesn't like what he sees on a pass play, we tell him to get what he can with his feet.”

The Tigers feature a potent ground game, led by senior Turner White and his 581 yards and nine touchdowns. Ben Maenza (353-7) has provided another effective option.

“They have a lot of criss-cross action with their running game,” said Butschle. “It's a version of the Wing-T and they try to get defenses to make one wrong step. That creates a crease for their backs. Our guys need to keep their eyes on their keys and not get caught up with all the motion in the backfield.”

The Raiders' linebackers will have a lot on their plate against the Tigers. The group includes Jake Stebbins, Saige Ley and Ty Gross.

“They're all first-year starters,” Butschle said. “There have been some mistakes, but they all play hard and we'll take that.”

Senior Gabe Miller has played both linebacker and defensive end this season.

“We've been bumping him around,” Butschle said. “We're trying to put him in position to make as many plays as possible.”

NA's defense is coming off a spirited effort.

“Last week against Penn Hills, they have great athletes all over the field and we kept them off the scoreboard the entire first half,” Walker said.

“Seneca Valley has played a lot of people tough this year,” he added. “We know they are a good team and I'm sure they are excited to be playing us at home. They have our attention. We have the chance to control our own destiny with this game.”

NA defeated Seneca Valley, 49-14, in the regular season last year, but the Raiders scored a 28-27 win against the Tigers in the WPIAL 6A semifinals.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.