Righting the ship?
JACKSON TWP — The story of the 2008 season is not complete, but the Seneca Valley football team would like to forget the last two chapters.
After a promising 3-1 start, the Raiders have been outscored 108-35 in their first two Northern Six Conference games against North Allegheny and North Hills.
The latest setback saw the Raiders first lose a third-quarter lead to the Indians, then watched any hope of a comeback dashed by North Hills' passing game in a 52-21 road loss.
The Raiders have had several breakdowns over the last two weeks, one of them being the numerous penalties they've committed.
In its losses to NA and North Hills, Seneca Valley has been flagged 17 times for 149 yards, including four 15-yard personal-foul penalties last week.
"I'm not always going to agree with the officials' calls," said Raiders coach Ron Butschle. "But mental errors, and that's what penalties are, have had an effect on our play the last few weeks."
With three games remaining, the Raiders still hold their playoff destiny in their hands.
Butschle is not shying away from the fact that there is a sense of urgency within his team.
"I told the seniors that they're only promised three more weeks," he said. "They have to look at every down they have left and be thankful that they're playing football."
The Raiders have an extra day to prepare for their next opponent, the Shaler Titans.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday as part of Shaler's homecoming festivities.
"We're not going to physically change our practice schedule, but the extra day gave us more time to take a look at some things," said Butschle.
SV (3-3, 0-2) is not struggling for lack of skill. The Raiders simply need a better effort to steer the team toward the WPIAL Quad A playoffs.
"The kids know from watching the film what they have to do better this week, but it also showed them how physical Shaler is," said Butschle. "Over the next three weeks, we have to match our opponents' intensity."
Shaler (5-1, 1-1) is coming off its first defeat of the season, a 34-6 setback at conference heavyweight North Allegheny.
Other than the loss, the Titans have played well under first-year head coach Neil Gordon, the former longtime coach at Penn Hills.
The team began the season with wins over Baldwin, Hempfield, Hampton, Mount Lebanon and Butler, though those five teams currently have a combined record of 7-23.
Shaler has a strong ground game and the Raiders' run defense must improve on its performance last week, when North Hills' Elijah David rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns.
"We had some alignment and assignment problems," said Butschle. "When you start out in the wrong place, you're generally going to end up in the wrong place."
Gordon could not be reached for comment.
