MILLCREEK TWP, Erie County — On a night when Seneca Valley turned in clutch play after clutch play, it was McDowell that tallied the game's most crucial yards.

Usually starring in the Trojans' ground game, senior running back Greg Garmon caught a 35-yard pass on a third-and-10 play from SV's 48 late in the fourth quarter of a tie football game Friday night at Gus Anderson Field.

Two plays later, Khyre Drayer scored on an 8-yard run that put McDowell up 36-29 with just 33 seconds remaining.

Garmon then officially ended SV's hopes, intercepting Jordan Brown's pass and returning it 50 yards for a score as the Trojans came away with a hard-fought 43-29 triumph.

The Raiders put up 475 yards of offense and tallied 27 first downs in the loss.

“I'm most disappointed for our kids,” said Raiders coach Don Holl. “I can't say enough about them. They played with a ton of heart and represent our district so well.”

The Raiders entered the final quarter down 22-19, but tied the score on Michael Denny's 32-yard field goal early in the stanza.

The teams then traded touchdowns, with SV's David Hall scoring on a 4-yard run to tie the game at 29.

McDowell began what proved to be the game-winning drive at its own 23 with 2:57 left on the clock.

Junior quarterback Jarrett Koper moved the chains with a 23-yard run on a third-and-3 play, but the Trojans were soon faced with third-and-long from just inside SV territory.

Garmon sprinted out of the backfield and down the left sideline, pulling in Koper's pass before stepping out of bounds at SV's 13.

“We were saving that pass play,” said McDowell coach Mark Soboleski. “It was a great throw by Koper and a great catch by Garmon.”

“They went to their bell cow and it was pretty much a back-breaker,” said Holl.

It was just the third and final pass completed by McDowell, which started the game with Anthony Lecce under center.

“Lecce's a senior and we started with him,” said Soboleski. “But we were getting bigger plays with Koper in there, that's why we went with him down the stretch.”

The big plays began with the Raiders.

After Denny's squib on the opening kickoff bounced off a McDowell player, Matt Edmondson recovered for the Raiders at the Trojan 45.

Ten plays later, Brown and Forrest Barnes teamed up on an 8-yard screen pass for a touchdown.

As was the case with SV's second touchdown — a 65-yard pass to Troy Witt early in the second quarter — the Raiders (2-1, 0-1) failed to convert a two-point conversion run.

“We tried to go with something they (Trojans) weren't expecting,” said Holl.

Koper entered the game late in the second quarter and sparked the Trojans with back-to-back runs of 16 and 17 yards, setting the team up at its own 48.

A pass interference penalty against the Raiders gave McDowell a first-and-goal from SV's 8, with Koper scoring on the ground on the very next play. Zach Baker's point after gave his team a 14-12 lead at halftime.

The Raiders' first drive of the second half ended with an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-3 play from McDowell's 5.

But SV's defense responded with Brad Gresock's interception, which set up Hall's first score of the night on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 19-14 edge. A key play in the drive was a 44-yard pass from Brown to Jonathan Dorogy.

“We felt like we had a good game plan tonight,” said Holl. “We have so many kids making plays for us.”

Koper scored on a 14-yard run late in the third, putting the Trojans (3-0, 1-0) up 22-19 and setting the stage for the fourth quarter dramatics.

Friday's game was in direct contrast to last year's game, a 48-14 McDowell win at NexTier Stadium in which the Raiders did not score until the fourth quarter.

“I was impressed with their talent across the board,” Soboleski said of the Raiders. “You can't key on just one guy.”

SV will host McKeesport next Friday.