JACKSON TWP — Thrilling victories, heartbreaking defeats, motivational speeches and everything in between.

They are what makes up a high school athletic career.

And on a night when six new members were inducted into the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame, there were a lot of stories to go around.

Wayne Bloom has vivid memories of starring for SV's football and wrestling teams before graduating in 1978.

"My whole varsity (football) career, we were trying to turn the corner," said Bloom, who played on the offensive line and at linebacker, kicker and punter. "Then, we went 5-5 my senior year under Coach Guff Wiegand and one of the victories came against Aliquippa (by a 15-0 score).

"We were supposed to get our butts kicked and we ended up kicking theirs."

Denny Britt also starred on SV's football team, but it was at a time when the squad's players had a hard time thinking of each other as teammates.

"The first year for Seneca Valley High School (1964) was my sophomore season," said Britt, who had attended Evans City High his freshman year. "You had kids from two rival schools, Evans City and Zelienople, coming together and people telling us we were now teammates.

"A lot of players from Zelie didn't play those first couple years because Tom Heckendorn, who had been the coach at Evans City, was named the first head coach at Seneca Valley and some of the Zelie players didn't like that."

Beth Black was one of Seneca Valley's first great female athletes, competing in basketball, swimming and track.

Though she collected three varsity letters in each sport and enough awards to fill up a room, her memories focus more on the camaraderie of high school sports.

"I just remember traveling with my teammates and having a good time," said Black, a 1977 graduate. "We had great coaches and they all wanted to win, but they wanted us to have fun with it, too."

Speaking of coaches, Richard 'Dick' Lane and Dave Florie distinguished themselves while at Seneca Valley and were honored with the Class of 2009.

Florie coached boys basketball for five years at SV before coaching baseball at the school from 1985-2000.

Everybody knows about the state title Florie's Raiders won in 1995, but it was one year earlier, in 1994, that the program took a huge step with a WPIAL title.

"We had a lot of expectations that year because we returned a lot of seniors," said Florie. "Winning the WPIAL that year, that was huge."

And the Raiders did it in dramatic fashion, outscoring rival North Allegheny 15-10 in a wild game at Pullman Park.

But above any championship or winning season, Florie hopes his message to his players is what they remember most.

"When I look back through all the years that I coached, I've had a general philosophy based on hard work, discipline and love. I think I've been able to instill that in most of the players."

Lane was an assistant coach for SV's football team, head coach for the track and field team through 1974 and an athletic trainer at the school.

"While I was coach of the track team, I believe we won 13 meets by less than a point," said Lane. "That shows that a lot of kids had a part in our success. I was blessed to have good kids on my teams."

But coaches can also be the difference in an athlete's career.

"I didn't play much for the football team my sophomore year," said Britt. "Then, in the spring of 1965, Coach Heckendorn took a few of us players and taught us how to run the spread offense.

"He realized that we couldn't compete with the bigger and more established schools by running a traditional offense," Britt added. "He showed me the basics of throwing on the run. Every play, we would be in the I-formation with at least two wideouts."

After helping SV to its first winning season as a senior in 1966 (4-3-1), Britt went on to star at quarterback for North Carolina State.

"A lot of the colleges were moving toward a spread offense," said Britt. "If it wasn't for Coach Heckendorn and the transition he made with our offense, I would not have had the opportunity to go to a Division I school."

Bloom recalled the impact his wrestling coach, Ken Lockey, had on his career.

"He led and coached by example," said Bloom. "I remember him telling us, 'Don't be surprised when you win, because you've worked hard.'

"I believe wrestling is 95 percent mental and Coach Lockey gave us that mental edge," Bloom added. "He also taught me to win graciously."

Wayne Roccia, who is in the SV Sports Hall of Fame himself, was influenced by Lane, his track and field coach.

"I got a lot of my values and ways of handling kids from him," said Roccia. "He was a compassionate coach with high integrity."

And what would high school sports be without the support of loyal fans?

In fact, to say that Norman McMurray was a loyal supporter of Seneca Valley sports would be a gross understatement.

For 40 years he and his wife, Gloria, attended virtually every varsity sport.

"He especially loved wrestling and football," said Gloria, who lives in Cranberry Township.

Norman passed away last October. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame for his love and support of Seneca Valley athletics.

In his memory, the SV wrestling team placed a large 'N' on their home wrestling mat last season, with each wrestler stepping on it for good luck.

"You always hear about the bad things kids do," said Gloria. "But there really are a lot of good kids out there."

<b>Beth Black (1977) — </b>Earned three letters in basketball, swimming and track and field ... Voted SV girls swimming team MVP in 1977 ... Was a member of the Raiders girls' track 880-meter relay team that won WPIAL gold and PIAA bronze ... Named the Mars Invitational Field MVP in 1976 and 1977 ... Was recognized as a High School All-American in track and field.<b>Wayne Bloom (1978) — </b>Won WPIAL title at 185 pounds in 1977 and 1978 ... Placed fourth at the PIAA wrestling tournament in 1977 ... Was all-conference at linebacker, punter and kicker his senior football season ... Attended North Carolina State on a full wrestling scholarship.<b>Denny Britt (1967) — </b>Lettered in football and basketball twice and track and field once ... Received the Buzz Irwin Award for best all-around athlete in 1967 ... Attended North Carolina State on a football scholarship.<b>David Florie — </b>Coached SV boys basketball team 1969-74 ... Coached SV baseball team 1985-2000, including a 220-112 record, a WPIAL title in 1994 and a PIAA title in 1995.<b>Richard Lane — </b>Was an assistant football coach and head track and field coach at SV before becoming an athletic trainer at the school, investing many hours for athletes of all sports.<b>Norman McMurray — </b>Longtime supporter of Seneca Valley athletics who lived in Cranberry Township ... Had children, grandchildren and a great grandchild who have or are still wearing SV's colors.