JACKSON TWP — When a quarterback throws for 304 yards, one touchdown and rushes for three other scores, he's going to grab the headlines.

That's what Seneca Valley's C.J. Brown managed in his latest performance.

But what the Raiders received from Tyler Mack Thursday night was just as important.

The senior halfback piled up 166 yards on 22 carries and scored a touchdown in the Raiders' 38-33 victory over Erie McDowell at NexTier Stadium.

The numbers prove Mack can be counted on to gain yards in bunches, but also the three- and four-yard gains needed in the fourth quarter.

"It was just a total team effort from everybody," said Raiders coach Ron Butschle. "Our offensive line did a nice job and our wide receivers blocked well.

"Those were 166 tough yards that Tyler gained," Butschle added.

Mack's 3-yard scoring run with 3:37 left in the first half put the Raiders up 28-12.

That advantage was extended to 35-12 midway through the third quarter on Matt Plautz's 9-yard touchdown reception from Brown.

But the visiting Trojans (1-1) mounted a late surge.

Alex Schmude and Dejon Young each scored on runs later in the third, and, when quarterback A.J. Fenton hit Alex Orzechowski with a short pass in the final period, the senior wideout turned it into an 83-yard scoring play.

The Trojans missed the two-point conversion, but were down by only five points at 38-33 with 6:17 left in the game.

McDowell attempted an onside kick, but SV's Mike DeFilippo was there to fall on the ball.

From there, the Raiders employed the ground game and short, safe passes to junior running back Evan Hetzel.

With 1:32 left, the Raiders faced a fourth-and-nine at McDowell's 23-yard line. Butschle elected to go the first down and watched Brown connect with Plautz for 13 yards.

All Brown needed to do was kneel twice in the closing seconds for the Raiders to ring up the victory.

The Raiders totaled 553 yards of offense, with Brown completing 25 of 37 passes for the 304 yards. Plautz led all receivers with 10 catches for 172 yards.

But the most important aspect was the 38 points the offense scored.

In last Friday's loss to Norwin, the Raiders offense had impressive numbers, but only 14 points to show for it.

"After last week, this was the exact effort I was hoping for," Butschle said.

Brown added 81 yards rushing and scored the Raiders' first three touchdowns, including a pair of 13-yard runs in the second quarter.

The Raiders called several designed quarterback runs during the game.

"Seneca Valley did a great job adjusting to what we were doing defensively," said McDowell coach Mark Soboleski. "We wanted to put pressure on C.J., but he still made play after play. He's a dandy."

Seneca Valley's defense has had trouble defending the triple option in the past and the Trojans exploited that weakness early.

In the Trojans' first three plays from scrimmage, Young and Schmude tallied 72- and 71-yard scoring runs, respectively.

McDowell's Jake Washak missed the extra point after the first score and the Trojans' two-point attempt after the second touchdown failed, and the team settled for a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

But as the Raiders' ground game gained steam in the second period, McDowell's began to sputter.

Faced with third-and-long plays, Fenton had two long passes fall to the ground after his receivers failed to hold onto the ball.

"All summer long we've been telling the kids that when you get a chance to make a play, make it," Soboleski said. "We didn't do that in the first half tonight."

The Trojans ended the game with 386 total yards, though 267 of them came on only four plays.

"That's a heck of a football team we just played," said Butschle. "You can't give up big plays, but I'm proud of the way our defense played."

Notes: Will Hugo added five extra points and a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter for the Raiders. ... SV's Cam Marburger recovered a McDowell fumble at his own 21-yard line with 9:57 left in the game. The play came directly after the Trojans began a drive at the Raiders' 29 following a blocked punt. ... Brown's first interception of the season came with 6:39 left in the game, as Tyler Abatta picked off a pass in his own end zone. ... The Raiders (1-1) play at Baldwin next Friday.

McDowell 12 0 15 6—33Seneca Valley 7 21 10 0—38M SV11 First Downs 2830-232 Rushes-Yards 43-249154 Passing Yards 3043-8-0 Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int.) 25-37-1386 Total Yards 5531-1 Fumbles/Lost 2-02-20 Penalties-Yards 10-80

First QuarterM — Dejon Young 72 run (kick failed), 11:42SV — C.J. Brown 1 run (Will Hugo kick), 8:42M — Alex Schmude 71 run (run failed), 7:56

Second QuarterSV — Brown 13 run (Hugo kick), 10:56SV — Brown 13 run (Hugo kick), 8:57SV — Tyler Mack 3 run (Hugo kick), 3:37

Third QuarterSV — Matt Plautz 9 pass from Brown (Hugo kick), 6:22M — Schmude 6 run (Jake Washak kick), 4:55SV — Hugo 27 field goal, 2:16M — Young 5 run (A.J. Fenton run), :04

Fourth QuarterM — Alex Orzechowski 83 pass from Fenton (run failed), 6:17

Individual Statistics

Passing: McDowell, A.J. Fenton 3-8-154-0. Seneca Valley, C.J. Brown 25-37-304-1

Rushing: McDowell, Dejon Young 3-74, A.J. Fenton 11-22, Alex Schmude 10-115, Zach Stano 4-18, Scott Harris 1-3, Kasey Chodubski 1-0. Seneca Valley, Tyler Mack 22-166, Evan Hetzel 2-2, C.J. Brown 19-81.

Receiving: McDowell, Mike Bizzaro 2-71, Alex Orzechowski 1-83. Seneca Valley, Dustin Anewalt 2-32, Ryan Thomas 2-8, Evan Hetzel 9-63, Matt Plautz 10-172, Tyler Mack 1-21, Pete Vicente 1-8.

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