BUTLER TWP — The last time Butler’s varsity football team got its hands on the Eagle Traveling Trophy was 2006.

That was also the last night the Golden Tornado won a section game.

Butler will try to end its 27-game section losing streak — and a five-game skid against Seneca Valley — when it travels to NexTier Stadium to play the Raiders in a mutual season opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

But this quest will not be an easy one.

“Seneca Valley is one of the elite teams in WPIAL Quad-A this year,” second-year Golden Tornado coach Clyde Conti said. “They are very, very good.

“I thought their defense really came on in the playoffs last year. They have a front four that gets after you and their offense is extremely dangerous.”

Conti said SV running back Forrest Barnes “will finish among the top three in the state in the 100” this year and third-year quarterback Jordan Brown is “an outstanding, versatile player who can run a 4.3 40.”

Wide receiver Jon Dorogy is yet another threat for the Raiders offensively.

“One thing that team has is depth,” Conti said. “Their backup quarterback and running backs can start for a lot of schools. The up-tempo style they play is hard to prepare for and they’ve looked dominant in their scrimmages.”

The Tornado enter their opener playing a number of new faces. Conti said Butler played its scrimmages against Woodland Hills and Blackhawk without its starting defensive front.

Injuries, would-be starters who did not return this season, along with suspensions, have left Conti with a different-looking lineup.

“Talk to me back in June and I would have said we’d have five or six starters on both sides of the ball who aren’t available to us now for a variety of reasons,” the coach said. “But that’s all part of high school football.

“You don’t make excuses. You adjust.”

Senior Jordan Cratty has edged out junior Tom Jendesky for the starting quarterback spot for Butler. Sophomore Jamison Smith is in the mix there, as well.

Butler has a number of running backs at its disposal, including Bob Vernick, Jake Olenick, Claude Clark, Kolby Kriess and sophomore Robert Burdine.

“I like where our quarterbacks are at, the commitment they’ve made,” Conti said. “Burdine gives us quickness in the backfield, having anchored the 4x100 relay as a freshman, but he’s young. We’ve got some versatile backs there.”

Canon Roskovski was the Tornado’s go-to receiver last season, but Conti anticipates more balance in the passing game this time around.

“Jake Alston, Olenick, Eric Hindman ... all of those kids are coming along as guys who can catch the football,” the coach said.

Coming out of preseason camp, Conti said the kids seem better prepared as a team than they were a year ago.

“That comes with continuity with us all in our second year together,” he said. “Everyone seems to have a better grasp on everything.

“There are a lot of areas we need work in for us to compete in the league we play in. The coaches know that, the kids know that. But the knowledge of what we want to do and the overall effort are there. At this point, that’s important.”