JACKSON TWP — The rivalry has seemingly gone away.

Butler football coach Eric Christy says it's up to his team to bring it back when the Golden Tornado (0-4, 0-2) travel to NexTier Stadium to face Seneca Valley (1-3, 1-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Raiders have claimed the Butler Eagle Traveling Trophy — presented annually to the Butler-SV winner — 12 years in a row.

“This is a great neighborhood game and we're always excited about it,” Christy said. “But you can't call a game a rivalry when the same team wins all the time.

“It's on us to bring the rivalry back to this series. We have to bring our end to the party.”

Butler last won the Eagle trophy in 2006, shutting out SV 14-0 for its fourth straight win in the series.

But since a 29-22 win over Butler in 2014, Seneca Valley has dominated the last four meetings, winning 43-7, 42-6, 35-0 and 37-0 last year.

“They've been snake-bitten a bit this year,” Christy said of the Raiders. “They were right there against Central Catholic and Mt. Lebanon, two of the stronger teams in our league.

“We know what they bring to the table. They battle. Gabe Lawson is not only an outstanding quarterback, he's solid on defense as well. That defensive unit just sticks kids.”

Lawson, a third-year starter, has thrown for 658 yards and four touchdowns this season, but is coming off a 65-yard, two-interception performance in last week's 26-20 loss at Mt. Lebanon.

“A lot of things that may have looked like mistakes by Gabe were due to bad routes by the receivers or a breakdown in protection,” said SV coach Ron Butschle. “Gabe's our guy and we're going to ride with him.”

Lawson's ability to run was a huge part of his game last year when he rushed for over 300 yards and scored eight touchdowns. Through four games this season, he has gained 51 yards.

“Mobility is still a key component for him, but he's also starting on defense (at safety/linebacker),” said Butschle. “We've dialed it back a bit on the designed run plays with him.”

James Sprentz leads SV's receivers with eight catches for 154 yards. Marciano McCowan, a junior tight end, has stepped up following an injury to Mehki Gay. The former has a touchdown reception in each of the last two games.

“He's kinda come out of the blue for us,” said Butschle. “He was untested, but has worked hard in practice.”

Running backs Ethan West and Matt Stanger have rushed for 185 and 144 yards, respectively.

Sophomore Cooper Baxter leads Butler's attack with 370 yards rushing and 301 passing. He has four TD passes, more than Butler had in its previous two seasons combined.

“He's a guy who's certainly capable of making plays,” said Butschle of Baxter. “He is as good as a tailback when running the ball.”

Zach Slomers has 11 catches for 143 yards for Butler.

The Raiders will be looking for a complete defensive effort after last week's game when they allowed just 36 yards of offense and no points to Mt. Lebanon in the first half, but 233 yards in the second half.

“It's not like their guys were running around uncovered, but we just missed opportunities to make big plays on that side of the ball,” said Butschle. “Our theme this week is to finish.”

Butler will be without defensive end-running back Julian Jones and linebacker Cole Slezak this week due to injuries. Stellar senior two-way lineman Nate Cornibe tweaked a knee last week against Pine-Richland and may be out as well.

“If Nate can't go, we'll be starting a fourth sophomore up front,” Christy said. “We're one injury away from starting an all-sophomore offensive line.

“We've got a sophomore at quarterback, young running backs ... This team is gaining valuable experience and is learning what it takes to play against the competition at this level.”

Defensive back Colin Look leads the Tornado with 23 tackles. He has an interception and fumble recovery as well. Linebackers Evan Orloski and Justin Kabay have 17 tackles each.