SV, Pine-Richland in same boat with 1-2 records
Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland are two football teams with their share of question marks after three weeks of play.
“They’re a lot like us, 1-2 and searching for answers,” said SV coach Ron Butschle of the Rams.
The two teams will look to correct things against each other when the Rams host the Raiders in a non-conference clash with a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday.
After defeating Penn Hills to open the season, SV has dropped consecutive decisions to Peters Township (30-27) and Canon-McMillan (33-21). In the former matchup, the Indians’ ground attack was a mere afterthought. Richie Woods ran for 40 yards on 16 carries, but as a team, Peters ran for minus-1 yard. It was quarterback Chris Cibrone and a stable of receivers who combined for 342 yards and four touchdowns.
But against Canon-McMillan, the Raiders’ run defense was exposed as Jake Kasper and Caleb Bailey combined for 220 yards and four scores on 34 carries.
“We have to play sound in terms of gaps,” said Butschle. “You have a breakdown, a missed assignment in a gap and it never fails; that’s where the ball carrier ends up. That allowed (the Big Macs) to bust some big runs on us.”
Challenging SV this week will be senior running back Ryan Palmieri. He rushed for 478 yards last year, when he started at quarterback for much of the season, but is the main threat behind an experienced offensive line this year. In last week’s 33-28 loss to Penn Hills, Palmieri rushed for 127 yards and two scores. He added another touchdown on a 50-yard kickoff return.
The Raiders feature their own special teams threat in junior Caye West. Through three games, he has kickoff returns of 39, 41, 42 and 51 yards.
“He wasn’t physically ready to play at the varsity level last year,” said Butschle, “but he’s grown and has the skill set to make him a threat in the return game.”
SV senior wide receiver Jackson Wetzel has caught seven passes for 134 yards and two scores over the last two weeks.
“He’s not blessed with blazing speed, but he’s probably our best route runner,” said Butschle. “He was a junior varsity player last year and it’s nice to see him get the opportunity to make plays for us.”
Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland were last conference foes in 2019. The Rams dropped to Class 5A in 2020 and lost a 24-20 non-conference decision to the Raiders last season.
The Rams are led by former Penn Hills head coach Jon LeDonne, who could not be reached for comment.
