2 plays make all the difference for SV in beating Baldwin
JACKSON TWP — Hampered by penalties and poor execution, the Seneca Valley football team looked flat early in its home game against Baldwin Friday night.
What a difference two plays can make.
The Highlanders were on the verge of breaking a scoreless tie when they lined up for a first-and-goal at the Raiders' 10-yard line late in the second quarter.
Seneca Valley's defensive front broke through and hit Baldwin running back Will Quarles in the backfield, forcing a fumble that SV linebacker Ryan Scheller recovered on the 12-yard line.
Two plays later, facing a third-and-3, Seneca Valley quarterback Ted Pynos found wideout Chris Lewis open on a short route. Lewis used his speed to get to the corner, then outraced the Highlanders' secondary for an 81-yard scoring play with just 1:18 left in the half.
SV went on to win 22-6, but that sequence of plays is where Baldwin coach Mike Silianoff believes the game was lost.
"Those were the biggest plays of the game," he said. "The fumble and the long touchdown pass, take your pick."
Until the scoring play, the Raiders had run 10 offensive plays for just 25 yards. They were penalized four times for 40 yards in the first quarter.
SV's star tailback, James Daniels, was held to eight carries for 32 yards in the first two quarters.
"We hurt ourselves with dumb penalties, and that kept our offense off the field," said Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle.
"Even though (Seneca Valley) was stymied for most of the first half, they go into the locker room up 8-0," said Silianoff, as Daniels ran for a two-point conversion following Lewis' touchdown reception.
Though the Highlanders were still in the game, SV (3-1) soon dashed their hopes of a road win.On the Raiders' second series of the third quarter, SV drove 53 yards in seven plays and made the score 15-0 on Daniels' 6-yard touchdown run.Pynos and senior wide receiver Kevin Mayberry hooked up for 20 yards on a big third-and-7 play from midfield to keep the drive going.On the extra point attempt, Baldwin (0-4) was flagged for a personal foul. The 15 yards were assessed on the ensuing kickoff.Butschle saw this as an opportunity.With the benefit of the penalty yardage, Scheller kicked off from Baldwin's 45-yard line.His onside kick was perfectly placed and recovered by SV's Dustin Anewalt."Defense, turnovers and special teams, that's how we said we're going to win games this year," said Butschle. "Maybe we don't try an onside kick there if it weren't for the penalty. But it gave us an opportunity to take advantage of field position."Worst-case scenario, Baldwin gets the ball on its own 35-yard line," he added.Just as demoralizing for the Highlanders as the onside kick was the manner in which SV quickly turned it into points.Again, Pynos and Mayberry connected on a third-down play, this time for 12 yards to set up a 1-yard scoring run by the senior quarterback.Baldwin's lone score came with 4:19 remaining in the game when halfback Will Quarles found the end zone from a yard out.Baldwin junior wide receiver Ryan Schleicher caught 13 passes for 154 yards in a losing effort. It was his first varsity start, as Ian Wild was out with an ankle injury.Daniels ended the game with 85 yards on 17 carries. He now has eight touchdown runs in four games.The Raiders will open Quad North play next week by hosting arch-rival North Allegheny.
