WEXFORD — Sam White barely weighs 120 pounds. He’s rail thin, has a mop-top haircut and his braces twinkle in the sun when he smiles.

He’s hardly the prototypical hero.

But the Mt. Lebanon freshman saved the day for the Blue Devils’ boys lacrosse team at North Allegheny High School Wednesday night — to the great dismay of Seneca Valley.

White found the ball in his crosse after a scrum in front of the Raiders’ net with the final seconds of overtime ticking away. With one flick of his stick, the ball found the net with three seconds remaining to give Mt. Lebanon an 8-7 win in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

After his game-winner, White was mobbed by teammates behind the Raiders’ net.

“Honestly, we got lucky,” said Mt. Lebanon coach Mike Ermer. “We ended up with the ball in our stick and our little freshman, in his second game starting, was able to get a great look.”

White was part of a lineup shake-up following Lebo’s WPIAL Division I semifinal loss to Shady Side Academy.

His goal put a dramatic end to a physical, well-played game.

The Blue Devils (15-6) scored the first two goals of the game in the first two minutes of the first quarter, but the Raiders (17-2) bounced back with four consecutive goals, two off the crosse of Mike Argyros, to stake Seneca Valley to a 4-2 lead.

The Raiders led 4-3 at halftime and 7-6 late in the fourth quarter after the third goal from David Hall, but Tim McNichol scored a clutch goal with 1:07 remaining in regulation to send the contest to overtime.

Both of Seneca Valley’s losses this season came at the hands of the Blue Devils.

“(Mt. Lebanon) still has that mental edge on everyone in the WPIAL,” said Seneca Valley coach Peet Poillon. “They are the marquee program in the WPIAL. We won the WPIAL championship (this year), but they are still the ones everyone looks up to. They do it the right way. I respect that program. It’s just something we need to get over.”

Seneca Valley took a big step toward that goal this season by winning the WPIAL title for the first time in the program’s history.

Poillon, though, said there is still more work to do.

“I’m proud of them,” Poillon said. “They had a heck of a journey and that’s what it is all about. We just need to continue to improve and build this program. I think it’s a year we can look back on and point to as one of the main building blocks to this program.”

The Raiders, though, will lose a ton of talent.

Gone will be goalie Jake Succop, who kept Seneca Valley in this game with 12 big saves. Also gone will be Argyros and Hall, who came on strong with two goals in the final 1:39 of the third quarter to keep the Raiders even with the Blue Devils.

“He’s clutch,” Poillon said of Hall. “He’s been doing that all year. He’s improved tremendously as an attacker and he’s been fun to watch.”

Mt. Lebanon will get a rematch with Shady Side Academy, who toppled State College 4-2 Wednesday, in the second round of the state playoffs.

The Blue Devils have played a rigorous schedule this season and it is paying off.

“To borrow a ‘Mike Tomlin-ism’, it’s one of those metal sharpens metal type of things,” Ermer said. “You have to go against the best to get better.”