JACKSON TWP — With summer camp and a 30-6 romp over McDowell in a tune-up last Friday behind it, Seneca Valley's football team now prepares for the rigors of the Quad County Conference-slate.

That challenge begins with a hefty test Friday when the Raiders travel to the Wolvarena in Turtle Creek to face Central Catholic.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Vikings are coming off a 24-21 win over Cathedral Prep last week that snapped the Ramblers' 28-game winning streak. Prep won the last two PIAA Class 4A titles.

“We played them pretty physical and that was good to see,” said veteran Central Catholic coach Terry Totten. “We feel good about that.”

While the victory may have injected confidence into an already-hyped program, Totten is making sure his players are not too confident. Last season, his Vikings encountered in September a 1-2 SV squad that gave Central all it could handle in a 28-20 win for the Vikings.

Central ended up losing to Pine-Richland in the district championship game in November.

“Seneca Valley has a lot of size up front,” said Totten. ”(Quarterback) Gabe Lawson is a year older and they have skill on the outside. They're a good football team.”

Lawson's maturity was on full display against McDowell. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 201 yards with three scoring strikes and added a rushing touchdown.

SV's ground attack was tempered, gaining 83 yards on 33 carries. Halfback Matt Stanger was held to 29 yards on 16 attempts, but Raiders' coach Ron Butschle is confident the running game will improve.

“For a lot of the game, McDowell outnumbered us in the box,” he said. “Matt ran hard and eventually, that effort will turn into big plays.”

The Raiders will have their hands full on defense. The Vikings plan to use six to eight different backs in the ground game, including junior Kyros Thorpe, who rushed for 289 yards and an 8.3 yards-per-carry average in a limited role last season.

Helping to provide balance to the offense will be junior quarterback Dom Pieto, who spent 2017 on the junior varsity team. Totten, however, likes what he has seen out of his signal caller so far. Pieto threw a pair of touchdown passes last week.

“He has a very live arm and is capable of big runs when we need it,” said Totten.

SV's defensive front, which includes tackles Drew Robertson and David Tkatch and ends Hunter Gross and Felipe Junqueira, will have to hold their own if the Raiders are to begin conference play with a victory.

“It's not rocket science with Central,” said Butschle. “Everyone knows what they are going to do. They just do it very well. This game will be a test of wills more than Xs and Os.”

The Raiders last defeated the Vikings in 2012 by a score of 34-7.