Historic Run
This is the second in a series of articles commemorating the 50th season of Seneca Valley football.It wasn't that Seneca Valley's 1989 football team did not get knocked down, it was the manner in which the Raiders got back up that defined their season.That year's team remains the only one in the history of the program to play in the WPIAL championship game. In a rematch with then-conference foe Aliquippa, SV dropped a 17-9 decision at Three Rivers Stadium and finished the season with a record of 10-3.“We weren't a big football team, but we played as a team and that made a huge difference,” said Terry Henry, who served as SV head coach from 1984-95.The seeds of success were planted long before the 1989 team's players reached the varsity level. From 1980-83, Seneca struggled to a combined record of 4-36. Following the 1983 season, the program went in search of a new coach.A number of men applied, Henry among them. He had mentored future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly at East Brady High, where Henry compiled a 69-16-3 record and won a pair of Little 12 Conference titles in nine seasons with the Bulldogs.“I sat in on a couple of the meetings the school board had,” said Tom Heckendorn, SV's athletic director from 1976-86 and the football team's interim coach in 1983. “They interviewed a few others besides Terry, but it was clear that he was getting the job.”“East Brady was one of the smallest schools around,” Henry said. “I looked at Seneca Valley and, at the time, it was a Class AAA football school and a growing district.“After I arrived at Seneca, it took us a few years to find our identity,” he added.Indeed, the first five seasons of Henry's tenure saw highs and lows as the team compiled a record of 24-24-2.When the team convened for practice in the summer of 1989, hopes were high that the Raiders could qualify for the district playoffs for the first time in school history.
“Making the playoffs was always a goal,” said Larry Wendereusz Jr., a sophomore and reserve running back/defensive back on that year's team who saw significant time on special teams. “Being a 10th-grader at the time, I didn't understand exactly what it was going to take. I do remember that team's senior class being very tight-knit.”The Raiders opened the year with three consecutive wins over non-conference opponents — Hampton, Franklin Regional and Highlands. It was during the come-from-behind win over Highlands that junior Sean O'Shea took over at quarterback and sparked the Raiders to a 15-14 triumph.“The job was his after that,” Henry said of O'Shea. “On offense, we ran the Wing-T and rolled Sean out a lot. He could scramble and find the open receiver. He was a good leader and did not get rattled.”With their record standing at 3-0, the Raiders entered the gauntlet of Midwestern Athletic Conference play. The road ahead included games against Aliquippa, Blackhawk and a strong Montour squad, among others.“It was rough,” Wendereusz said of the conference schedule. “It was such a tough game every week and everybody on the team, from the first-teamers down to the scout team, felt it in practice.”Ambridge dealt Seneca a 26-12 loss in the conference opener Sept. 22, but the Raiders bounced back with a 21-14 win over visiting Blackhawk the next week.In an era when only the top two teams in each conference made the playoffs, an 0-2 start may have been too much to overcome.“That was a big win,” said Wendereusz. “During the week of practice leading up to the Blackhawk game, everybody was saying, 'We gotta get this one.'“We had a belief that we could make the playoffs, but we needed that win to keep it going.”The victory over the Cougars sparked a three-game winning streak, but was brought to a halt by Montour, which beat SV 14-7 Oct. 20.With a 3-2 MAC record, the Raiders had no more room for error and were headed to a place visiting teams rarely win — 'The Pit' in Aliquippa.The Quips were two-time defending WPIAL champions and held a 4-1 conference record prior to the meeting with Seneca Valley. It seemed as though the Raiders' postseason hopes would be dashed in Beaver County.But behind the ground attack of Buddy Lott and Don Mars, who combined to gain 163 yards on 36 carries, the Raiders stunned Aliquippa 18-7.“I remember security guards who were at the game coming up to us afterwards and saying, 'You guys just beat Aliquippa at 'The Pit.' Just put your heads down and get out of here,'” Wendereusz said. “That's exactly what we did, until we got out of town. After that, the bus ride home was not quiet. We were pretty excited.”But the win over the Quips simply kept the Raiders' playoff chances alive. They still needed a win of no less than 10 points in the regular-season finale against Lindy Lauro's New Castle squad, plus some help.Henry's bunch held up its end of the bargain, handling the Red Hurricane 24-6. Also needed was an Aliquippa victory over Ambridge and the Quips responded by edging the Bridgers 6-0.After 25 years, Seneca Valley football was playoff-bound.“We liked being the underdog,” Wendereusz said. “I remember our defensive coordinator, Clair Altemus, saying that teams didn't respect us. We had to earn it.”The first playoff game in SV's history had the Raiders traveling to Greensburg Salem Nov. 10.“We went up big, 28-0 in the first half,” said Henry, “then cruised to (a 35-20) victory.”SV's defense frustrated the Golden Lions, holding them to a mere 31 yards of offense in the first two quarters while split end Mike Kaczmarek caught a pair of touchdown passes from O'Shea.One step from the WPIAL title game, Seneca met Brownsville Nov. 17 at Dormont Stadium.SV fullback Mark Winters, who missed the final three regular-season games with torn ligaments in his left knee, rumbled for 130 yards on 25 carries, which included a pair of touchdowns as SV led the Falcons 10-0 at halftime and pulled away for a 30-6 win.“Mark was a warrior and one of those guys who just loved playing football,” said Wendereusz. “He was a leader for us.”The rematch against Aliquippa in the WPIAL title game Nov. 25 turned against the Raiders early. The Quips jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and, aided by six turnovers committed by the Raiders, went on to claim their third consecutive district title by a score of 17-9.“Aliquippa had the confidence from having been there before,” said Wendereusz. “We were a bit wide-eyed and it got us.”Henry agreed.“Playing at Three Rivers was exciting,” he said, “but it was also a bit overwhelming. Playing on the pro hash marks, Aliquippa was able to use its speed against us.”Though the season ended with a disappointing loss, it is the positive memories that have stayed with Wendereusz.“Following our win over Brownsville, the bus driver brought us through Pittsburgh on our way home,” he said. “We came through that tunnel and there sat Three Rivers Stadium. There was an absolute explosion of noise, all of the players screaming and yelling because that's where we would be playing the next week. I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life.”
Seneca Valley’s 1989 football team remains the only squad in program history to reach the WPIAL title game. Following is the Raiders’ schedule and results from that season.Date Opp. ScoreSept. 2 at Hampton 21-0Sept. 8 vs. Franklin Reg. 34-6Sept. 15 at Highlands 15-14Sept. 22 at Ambridge 12-26Sept. 29 vs. Blackhawk 21-14Oct. 6 at Moon 42-14Oc.t 13 vs. Hopewell 28-7Oct. 20 vs. Montour 7-14Oct. 27 at Aliquippa 18-7Nov. 3 vs. New Castle 24-6Nov. 10 at Gbg Salem* 35-20Nov. 17 vs. Brownsville** 30-6Nov. 25 vs. Aliquippa*** 9-17*WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinal playoff**WPIAL semifinal playoff at Dormont Stadium***WPIAL title game at Three Rivers Stadium
