JACKSON TWP — The first 18 minutes gave Seneca Valley hope.

The rest of the game gave the Raiders one huge headache.

For the first quarter and a half, SV was moving the ball consistently while stopping Shaler's running attack.

The Raiders had a 7-0 lead after James Daniels' 9-yard run at the beginning of the second quarter.

But the visiting Titans scored the next 35 points before leaving the field with a decisive 35-14 Northern Five Conference win Friday night at NexTier Stadium.

The win clinches a WPIAL Quad A playoff spot for Shaler (6-2, 3-1).

"It's so demoralizing," said SV coach Ron Butschle. "To have things go so well at the beginning of the game and then it all goes downhill."

With 5:40 remaining in the first half, the Raiders elected to fake a punt on their own 46-yard line. Needing seven yards, Sean Gress took the snap as the upback and was dropped for a 2-yard loss.

After taking over on downs, the Titans were soon faced with their own fourth-down play.

On fourth-and-1, wingback Kyle Stagel motioned from left to right before the snap, took a pitch around the right end and was gone for a 35-yard scoring run.

"The fake punt was a gamble," said Butschle. "We figured we'd take a shot."

Seneca Valley's Jim Burry returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to Shaler's 27-yard line. But three plays later, Stagel intercepted a pass by Raiders quarterback Ted Pynos and returned 79 yards for the Titans' second score in fewer than two minutes.

The momentum had definitely shifted, but the Raiders trailed only 14-7 at halftime.

But that manageable deficit didn't last long.

Shaler drove 73 yards in six plays on the opening drive of the second half, capped by Dan Wirkowski's 42-yard touchdown run with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

After SV sophomore quarterback C.J. Brown was intercepted on the Raiders' next drive, Shaler's R.J. Palso found Drew Stanny for a 23-yard scoring strike and the Titans' lead had ballooned to 28-7.

The Raiders (3-5, 0-4) began the night by stuffing Shaler's Wing-T running attack, giving up only 15 yards on the Titans' first eight carries, not counting a sack of Palso. But Wirkowski finished out his team's scoring with a 76-yard romp early in the fourth quarter and ended the night with 138 yards on only five carries.

"I think it was just a case of our linemen staying on their blocks a bit longer," said Titans coach Jacque DeMatteo. "They were giving more effort to get that running game going."

Palso also was impressive in the win, completing 10 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, a job well done within Shaler's conservative offense.

"Without looking at the film, I'd say he made some nice plays," said DeMatteo. "Seneca Valley was playing aggressively on defense and R.J. didn't have a lot of time to make a decision. He did well with the dumpoff reads."

Shaler's pass rush sacked Pynos three times in the second half for a total of minus-23 yards.

"I think it was a combination of poor execution and being outnumbered on the line," said Butschle.

Pynos delivered an 11-yard scoring pass to Kevin Mayberry late in the game for SV's final score.

Notes: C.J. Brown left the game early in the second half due to an injury and did not return. ... Daniels rushed for 51 yards on 11 carries and has now scored at least one touchdown in seven of eight games this season. ... Chris Lewis snagged six passes worth 106 yards for the Raiders.