SV hosts Penn Hills to kick off 2022 grid season
One of the goals for first-year Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris is for his team to be fast out of the gate this season.
The Indians began 2021 by losing their first two games and their conference opener. While they rebounded to reach the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals, Morris knows Week 1 can go a long way toward setting a tone for the season.
Getting off on the right foot will be a tall task Friday when Penn Hills travels to NexTier Stadium to take on Seneca Valley, a Class 6A team loaded with talent.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Raiders are bigger and stronger since their 7-4 effort last year, which is a concern for Morris, who spent the last 10 seasons as the defensive coordinator at Plum.
"We just scrimmaged North Allegheny, a team that is very physical and can wear you down," he said. "We matched their physicality at times, but Seneca is going to be a big challenge for us. We have to play at that level the whole game; if we don't, it's going to be a very tough night for us."
SV's starting offensive line — center Logan Armstrong, guards Lucas Lambert and Josh Berg; and tackles Devin Webb and Roman Royal — average 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds.
"The line has had a really good couple of weeks of camp," said Raiders coach Ron Butschle. "They're falling into their roles."
The Raiders recent scrimmage came against Cathedral Prep.
"It was a typical scrimmage," added Butschle. "We got our first-string guys some work and got 'em off the field. We really didn't prepare for the scrimmage, were more focused on us. We're anxious to get into the weekly grind of the season and our focus is now on Penn Hills."
And a large portion of that attention is on Julian Dugger, who is entering his third season as the Indians' starting quarterback. He passed for over 1,300 yards in 2021 while adding over 600 on the ground. He threw 20 touchdown passes and scored 11 times rushing.
"Him being a dual-threat is a huge plus for the team and he's a very good leader," Morris said. "He loves to compete and we have a team full of kids like him. They take pride in what they do."
SV's linebackers will include Chris D'Appolonia and Joe Babusci on the outside and TJ Border in the middle, where Willem Craver should also see playing time.
"The thing that's a concern against a team like Penn Hills is if one of our linebackers makes a mistake and leaves a gap uncovered, somebody can go sprinting downfield with our guys chasing him," said Butschle. "We have to play gap-sound defense."
Penn Hills' defense includes cornerback Raion Strader, a Miami (Ohio) University commit.
SV's offense will have senior Graham Hancox at quarterback after missing the last four games of last season with an injury. Even with the missed time, he passed for 1,333 yards and eight touchdowns. Luke Lawson, Aiden Lyczek and D'Appolonia each stand at least 6-3 and will provide Hancox with tall targets.
Wyatt Craver is moving into a starting role at halfback.
