SV's 1997 season
This is the third and final article commemorating the 50th season of Seneca Valley football.Every high school football team strives for a successful season, but those players returning from Seneca Valley’s 1996 squad were also dealing with a sense of unfinished business.That season began with three straight victories under first-year head coach Rick Shepas, but the Raiders fell in four of their final seven games and missed out on a WPIAL Class AAAA playoff berth. A 17-14 loss to rival Butler Oct. 25 officially ended SV’s postseason hopes.“We had a small senior class in 1996 and everybody who returned the next season had expectations of us doing better,” said Brett Sutch, a senior wide receiver/safety on the 1997 team, which shook off a slow start to go a perfect 7-0 in Quad North play.Following a quarterfinal playoff win over Mt. Lebanon, the Raiders’ season came to an end with a heart-breaking 14-10 loss to Upper St. Clair Nov. 15. Seneca finished with an overall record of 8-3.“That team was a very close group,” Shepas said of his 1997 squad. “The players had a special bond. The chemistry they had got us through some of the tough games.”“We had great leadership on that team and it all started with Coach Shepas,” said Josh Anthony, then a senior middle linebacker. “He was a hands-on coach and put together a great staff.”Despite having just 17 seniors on the 1996 team — compared to 30 juniors — the Raiders did graduate their entire starting offensive line and several key players on defense. Still, a lot of talent returned at the skill positions. Included in that group was quarterback Tony Conti (810 passing yards, seven touchdowns in 1996), running backs Dan Tropf (858 rushing yards, eight touchdowns) and Nick Bernini (247 yards, four scores) and Sutch (13 catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns).“Seneca had ran the Wing-T on offense for a long time under Terry Henry (1984-95),” said Sutch. “When Coach Shepas came in, we switched to a Multiple I-formation. Entering the 1997 season, we had a year of that under our belts and I thought we had a good chance to put up some decent numbers. We were optimistic.”Unlike the year before, the Raiders endured back-to-back setbacks to open the season.In the first game, Connellsville scored 13 points in the closing minutes and left Raider Stadium with a 34-24 victory.In Week 2, host Baldwin erased a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit and defeated Seneca in overtime 27-24.“We entered the season with a lot of confidence,” Sutch said. “Then we lost the first two games and I think we started to question ourselves.”“After the Baldwin game, we had a meeting with all the seniors and Coach Shepas,” said Anthony. “I can’t remember exactly what was said, but we got on a roll after that.”The one positive was that both losses came in non-conference affairs. Quad North play began with a home game Sept. 12 against Shaler.Against the Titans, Tropf scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, one rushing and receiving, as the Raiders posted a 30-21 victory. SV’s unblemished run through conference play was set in motion.Along the way, the Raiders opened many eyes with several impressive victories.Seneca hosted defending WPIAL champion Woodland Hills Oct. 3. The Raiders built a 28-7 second-quarter lead and held on for a 28-26 win.The triumph over the Wolverines set up a titanic matchup with North Allegheny the following week. The Tigers had defeated Shaler 38-24 the previous Friday and invaded Raider Stadium with a record of 6-0, having outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 260-77.SV’s showdown with the Tigers would decide sole possession of first place in the conference, which only added to the rivalry.“There was always a different take on NA week,” said Sutch. “From the time we were young kids, everybody got up for that game.”Three straight scores by North Allegheny handed the Tigers a 22-14 edge in the third quarter. But the Raiders answered with three scores of their own. Bernini scored on a five-yard run and Conti threw the final two of his four touchdowns in the game — 10 yards to Bernini and 25 to Mike Guffey — as SV celebrated a 36-22 victory. The Raiders’ defense held NA to just 76 rushing yards on 26 attempts.“Our schedule was very tough that year,” said Shepas, “but the way we beat North Allegheny is what sticks out most for me.”The Raiders were proving that they had the talent to win big games, but something else had been added to their recipe for success.“When I arrived at Seneca in 1996, I instituted a very stringent training regimen,” said Shepas. “Our guys really responded well to it and we became a very well-conditioned football team.”“Coach Shepas put us through the wringer,” said Sutch, “but it worked. A lot of our victories that season were due to the physical condition we were in. Late in games, we’d notice that players on the other team were sucking air. It gave us a psychological edge.”The Raiders capped the regular season with Quad North wins over New Castle and Butler.By winning the conference championship, the Raiders earned a first-round bye and prepared to host Mt. Lebanon, which had disposed of Central Catholic 31-6.Against Seneca, the Blue Devils held a 10-6 third-quarter cushion, but Steve Inman blocked a Mt. Lebanon punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown and a lead SV would not relinquish in a 27-10 win.Anthony and Sutch paced the winning defensive effort with 12 and eight tackles, respectively.The Raiders were just one victory from playing for the WPIAL title at Three Rivers Stadium. Standing in their way was a 9-1 Upper St. Clair team.Just two years earlier, the Panthers had ended SV’s hopes of a district title, defeating the Raiders 24-13 in the semifinals.“We wanted to avoid losing to them again,” Sutch said. “We wanted revenge.”Mother Nature decided to drop in on the semifinal rematch, played at North Allegheny, as much of the game was played in a snowstorm.“I remember fielding punts and completely losing the ball in the sky because of all the snow coming down,” added Sutch. “We couldn’t even see Upper St. Clair’s players on the other side.”With the flakes falling, Nate Lang booted a 31-yard field goal and Tropf raced 62 yards for a touchdown for a brief 10-7 lead. But a 53-yard scoring strike late in the third quarter from Mac McArdle to Jay Junko put the Panthers up for good in a 14-10 decision.“I think we were the better team that day, but it just didn’t happen for us,” said Anthony, who ended the season with over 100 tackles. “That field was so slick.”The loss was a bitter pill to swallow, especially for Sutch and the other seniors. But in one of the most successful seasons in program history, the journey itself has had a lasting impact on those who were part of it.“As a competitor, falling short does leave a bad taste in your mouth,” said Sutch, who caught 32 passes for 495 yards and intercepted five passes on defense that season. “But whenever I see any of my teammates from that season, we agree that we’re better people because we were part of that team.” - See more at: http://beedit.sx.atl.publicus.com/article/20131108/SPORTS03/711089847&NoCache=1#sthash.Eran72Cc.dpuf
In 1997, the Seneca Valley football team reached the WPIAL semifinals for the third time in program history. Following are the schedule and results from that season.<B>Date Opp. Result Score</B>8/29 vs. Connellsville L 24-349/5 at Baldwin L 24-27 (OT)9/12 vs. Shaler W 30-219/19 at North Hills W 31-79/26 at Ambridge W 48-010/3 vs. Woodland Hills W 28-2610/10 vs. N. Allegheny W 36-2210/17 at New Castle W 16-710/24 vs. Butler W 21-1811/7 vs. Mt. Lebanon* W 27-1011/15 vs. Upp. St. Clair** L 10-14*WPIAL Quarterfinal Playoff**WPIAL Semifinal Playoff
