JACKSON TWP — The further you go in the WPIAL football playoffs, the tougher the road becomes.

Both Seneca Valley and Woodland Hills will experience that first-hand come Friday.

The Raiders (9-1) will meet the Wolverines (8-2) in a WPIAL Class AAAA quarterfinal playoff at North Allegheny's Newman Stadium. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

The matchup will feature a pair of hot teams.

Seneca Valley has won five straight games since suffering its lone loss of the season to Central Catholic Sept. 27, while Woodland Hills is riding an eight-game winning streak since dropping its first two games of the season to Upper St. Clair and McKeesport.

“We haven't played them,” said Raiders' coach Don Holl of the Wolverines, “but have seen a lot of them on film and I think it's a pretty typical Woodland Hills team.

“Defensively, they don't make mistakes and they get off blocks,” he added. “On offense, they are sound up front and have well-coached skill players.”

One of those is sophomore running back Miles Sanders, who has rushed for 1,016 yards, 13 touchdowns and nearly 10 yards per carry. But in last week's 35-14 victory over Pine-Richland, it was junior Art Thompkins who rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns (29, 16, 33).

Senior quarterback Harry Randall has thrown for 666 yards and rushed for 483 more.

“He was a backup quarterback for us as a freshman,” said Wolverines' veteran coach George Novak of Randall. “He was a wide receiver his sophomore year, then a running back last season. He's an athlete.”

Thompkins leads the team in receptions with 13 for 200 yards while Chris David has grabbed 10 passes for 158 yards.

“We have good wideouts, but their catches are spread out,” said Novak.

Woodland Hills has been stingy on defense as the team has allowed 10 or fewer points in five of its 10 games.

Of course, when it comes to defense, the Raiders are among the best in the WPIAL.

Senior linebacker Tucker Van Dyke leads the team with 60 tackles, including 19.5 for a loss. Brad Hensler and Brandan Clough both have five quarterback sacks and T.J. Holl paces the unit with four interceptions.

“Their defense is quick and physical,” said Novak. “They run a lot of stunts.

“On offense, they run the read option and can run and pass equally well. They like to run a lot of gadget plays, even on extra points. You have to spend time preparing for that.”

The Raiders defeated Hempfield 36-10 last week to earn their third straight trip to the quarterfinals, a first for the program.

“The coaches and players are excited about this opportunity,” said Holl. “We want to be as ready as we can be. Our guys know what is expected of them.”

Novak is in his 27th season as head coach at Woodland Hills. He has led the Wolverines to six WPIAL titles, the most recent coming in 2009.

“I've been blessed over the years with a great coaching staff,” said Novak. “Most of my assistants have been with me for 15 years or more. And we've had a lot of good kids come through here.”

The winner of the Seneca Valley-Woodland Hills game will face the winner of Upper St. Clair's clash with North Allegheny.