Jake Donesec’s winding road to 3 TDs helps Seneca Valley football overpower Mars in first meeting since 1970
ADAMS TWP — Jake Donesec hadn’t played football in a while, so forgive him for his show of excitement.
Following a 3-yard second-quarter rushing touchdown on a pitch out right, Seneca Valley’s senior running back found the nearest camera, got in front of it and threw the ball as hard as he could at Mars’ home turf.
“I knew my (video guy), he was like, ‘Make sure to come up to the camera,’” Donesec said following the Raiders’ 27-14 season-opening win over the Planets (0-1) on Friday night at Mars Athletic Complex. “This was my first time playing football since eighth grade. So I went up to the camera and did a Gronk spike. … I looked at the ref and I saw him (disapproving). I’m like, ‘Oh, no.’”
Yellow flags rained down around Donesec, who headed to the sideline and was promptly barked at by Seneca Valley (1-0) coach Don Barclay.
“He got yelled at pretty hard by me, but he was really apologetic and he understood,” Barclay said. “It’s a learning moment.”
Donesec finished with 93 rushing yards and found the end zone twice more on the night, on an 88-yard jaunt in the next frame and then a 55-yard punt return 2:19 after that. He didn’t have any look-at-me displays after those scores.
But get this: “I just got here,” Donesec said.
OK, maybe not that very instant.
Donesec, who attends and plays lacrosse at Sewickley Academy, learned this summer he could play on the gridiron for his home school district thanks to a recent ruling after the private school’s football co-op with Moon was dissolved.
The Salisbury University lacrosse commit talked to Sewickley Academy’s athletic director and Seneca Valley’s, Heather Lewis, and “worked everything out, got all the tests (done) and stuff, and paperwork, and then they allowed me to come (during), basically, heat week,” he said.
“He’s been a great addition,” Barclay said. “Our offense is about putting athletes in place. We gotta utilize what he has, even on special teams.”
The Raiders opened the scoring on Jamen Alwine’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Rory O’Shea a little over five minutes into the first quarter. Mars evened matters with a 48-yard highlight-reel connection between Colin Yurisinec and Brady Brennan in the following frame.
The Planets turned it over on downs at Seneca Valley’s 16-yard line coming out from halftime, then Brennan intercepted Alwine, setting Mars up in good position again. The response to the failed gamble earlier seemingly proved Planets coach Zachary Benedek's hunch to be right.
“I think our defense was playing really well,” Benedek said. “With that, I felt confident (saying), ‘Hey, let’s not just take three here. We’ve got the field positioning, and I have faith in our offense and I have faith in our defense — and those guys are itching to go for it, as well.”
The offense went three-and-out, though, and Donesec raced down the left side from his own 12-yard line on the first snap of the next series.
Yurisinec and Brennan linked up for another air strike — this one from 39 yards out — early in the fourth quarter, but Mars had 16 yards from scrimmage the rest of the way.
It was the first time since 1970 Mars and Seneca Valley had faced off in football. The Planets visit Aliquippa next week, while the Raiders head to North Hills for a Thursday night game.
Seneca Valley 7 6 14 0 — 27
Mars 0 7 0 7 — 14
1st Quarter
SV — Rory O’Shea 21 pass from Jamen Alwine (Jayden Foreaker kick), 6:53
2nd Quarter
M — Brady Brennan 48 pass from Colin Yurisinec (Gus Coffield kick), 5:17
SV — Jake Donesec 3 run (Foreaker kick missed)
3rd Quarter
SV — Donesec 88 run (Foreaker kick)
SV — Donesec 55 punt return (Foreaker kick)
4th Quarter
M — Brennan 39 pass from Yurisinec (Coffield kick), 10:57
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Seneca Valley, Jake Donesec 4-93, Maximo Robinson 12-56, Jamen Alwine 7-15, Rory O’Shea 1-11, Josiah Edwards 2-4, Jameson Babcock 1-0. Mars, Jameson Garvin 20-82, Ryan Walker 3-4, Colin Yurisinec 7-(-16).
Passing: Seneca Valley, Jamen Alwine 12-30-153-2. Mars, Colin Yurisinec 15-26-176-0.
Receiving: Seneca Valley, Rory O’Shea 4-65, Trent Popp 3-33, Matt D’Appalonia 1-31, Christian Saeler 1-15, Josiah Edwards 2-7, Jameson Babcock 1-2. Mars, Brady Brennan 4-90, Jameson Garvin 1-10, Smyth Dunaway 1-8, Ryan Walker 1-7, Gus Coffield 1-7, Liam Corcoran 2-6, Adam Genevero 1-5, Carter Orehowsky 1-(-3).
