The Seneca Valley football team is used to playing for pride this late in the season.

But despite their 0-4 record in the Northern Five Conference, the Raiders are still alive for their first playoff appearance in four years.

If the Raiders beat Butler at 7:30 p.m. Friday on the road, Bethel Park defeats Baldwin and Fox Chapel knocks off Plum, SV will earn the WPIAL Quad A wildcard spot.

"I don't want to hear about that," said Raiders coach Ron Butschle. "Because it all means nothing if we don't win."

Butler (2-6, 0-4) also can make the playoffs under the aforementioned scenario if it pulls out a win.

And, for the 14th consecutive season, the winner of the game will be awarded the Butler Eagle Traveling Trophy.

SV (3-5, 0-4) is coming off a 35-14 loss at home to Shaler, the team's 24th straight conference setback.

Even though the Raiders are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, Butschle said his team has remained upbeat and focused in practice.

"That's one of the things that frustrates me the most," said Butschle. "We've had some of our best practices in recent weeks. In fact, I'd say our best practice was last week before the Shaler game. But we haven't been able to take that into the games."

One bright spot from last week was the play of senior wide receiver Chris Lewis, who tallied 106 yards on six receptions, four of which went for first downs.

The team's leading pass catcher remains senior Kevin Mayberry with his 24 receptions for 308 yards and two scores.

The Raiders' biggest offensive weapon in the first four games, junior tailback James Daniels, has become a mere footnote during the team's current losing streak.

After the first four games, Daniels had 502 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. In the last four contests, he's managed just 169 yards and three scores.

But the Golden Tornado defense may be just what the doctor ordered for Daniels. Butler has allowed a 100-yard rushing performance in five of its eight games and is surrendering 4.7 yards per attempt.

Another back who is getting more opportunities in the Raiders' offense is junior Bill Burns. He's tallied 67 yards on 22 carries this season and has shown an ability to break tackles.

"It's not one player," Butschle said of the team's struggles with running the football. "It's the overall execution of our offense. You know, we have to go out and block well, hit the holes and complete some passes to loosen the defense up."

SV quarterback Ted Pynos will attempt to loosen Butler's defense this week. The senior split time with sophomore C.J. Brown the last two weeks before a broken clavicle ended the latter's season last Friday.

Pynos has completed 58-of-119 passes for 850 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. He's also rushed for three scores.

Pynos had much better stats in the first half of the season, when he was supported by a strong ground game.

On defense, SV is hoping not to have a repeat of last year's game in which Butler quarterback Nick Monteleone managed 431 offensive yards, including 242 rushing. That performance helped the Tornado grab a 47-29 win, its third straight victory over Seneca Valley.

"(Monteleone) is their biggest weapon," said Butschle. "He runs well and throws well, but we don't want to focus on just one guy because they do a lot of things well."

Butler holds a 14-7 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1977.

Out of 10 games played at Butler, the Raiders have won just three. Seneca Valley last won a road game in the series in 1999.