Holl paces Raiders to 54-14 win at Shaler
SHALER TWP — T.J. Holl came out on top against two opponents Friday night — Shaler's defense and the fog.
The Seneca Valley junior quarterback accounted for six touchdowns (four rushing and two passing) as the Raiders crushed the Titans, 54-14.
After last week's 42-0 loss to Central Catholic, the Raiders (5-1, 4-1) needed to bounce back.
“Last week was a setback,” said Holl. “It was big for us to come out and dominate tonight.”
Holl passed for 252 yards and rushed 20 times for 91 yards. He scored on the ground from 10, 1, 8 and 14 yards out.
“We do not want T.J. to carry the ball 30 times a game like a tailback,” said Seneca Valley coach Don Holl. “But we do want him to carry the ball within the framework of our offense.
“Shaler was showing some unusual looks on defense and if a defense doesn't account for the quarterback, we're going to take advantage of that.”
Heavy fog engulfed the stadium midway through the first half and again at halftime, forcing a 20-minute delay of the second-half kickoff. Much of the game action was played in less than ideal conditions.
Midway through the third quarter, Holl completed 36-yard pass to Brad Hensler even though the heavy fog had returned.
“We couldn't see the calls from the sideline and it was tough,” T.J. Holl said. “But it's fun playing in games like this.”
Shaler (0-6, 0-5) surprised Seneca Valley with a touchdown just 33 seconds into the game.
Zach Carney returned the opening kickoff 61 yards to Seneca Valley's 32-yard line. Titans' quarterback Josh Crawford connected with Robbie Reinheimer for a 30-yard gain to the Raiders' 2. Lou Iezzi scored on a run on the next play.
“A long kickoff return, long pass and three plays into the game we're down 7-0,” said Coach Holl. “Their crowd was into it.”
“We're showing glimpses,” said Shaler coach Chris Siegle. “But we're still a work in progress.“We knew it was going to be a fast-paced game and we wanted to get off to a fast start.”The Raiders answered with a seven-play, 59-yard drive, capped when Mason Dehart turned a swing pass into a 35-yard touchdown reception late in the first quarter.The Raiders' defense also stepped up, allowing just 17 yards on Shaler's final six drives of the first half.“We started moving the ball and they weren't,” said Coach Holl. “That's when we took the game over.”Leading 35-7 in the third quarter, Holl added a 51-yard touchdown pass to Brandan Clough.Chad Izenas returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown and Sam Henson added a six-yard scoring run to cap SV's scoring.Dehart ended the game with 54 yards rushing and caught four passes for 87 yards.SV's defense held Shaler to just 115 yards of offense.The Raiders host North Hills next Friday.
