It has been nearly two weeks since Seneca Valley's football team played a game. The Raiders will be welcomed back to the gridiron with a heavyweight Quad County Conference matchup.

SV will travel to Pittsburgh Friday for a showdown with two-time defending WPIAL champion Central Catholic.

The Raiders (2-0, 4-1) and Vikings (2-0, 4-1) are two of the three teams undefeated in conference play — Mt. Lebanon being the other.

“Central has talent across the board and they also play very hard,” said SV coach Ron Butschle.

While the Vikings defeated North Allegheny, 24-7, last week, the Raiders' game at Norwin was canceled due to COVID issues with the Knights. SV, which was a heavy favorite, was awarded a win via forfeit.

The Raiders learned three days before the game that it was off.

“The PIAA rule is that if a team has enough players to safely play a game, despite COVID, it forfeits the game if it decides not to play,” Butschle said. “Apparently, Norwin had enough to play.”

Following a 38-21 loss to 5A power Moon to begin the season, SV earned wins over Pine-Richland (24-20), North Hills (17-7) and Hempfield (49-0). It was a very strong string of momentum Butschle hopes his team can regain against the formidable Vikings, whose one loss this season came Aug. 27 by a 12-6 score to Imhotep Charter, a school in Philadelphia.

“We have some young guys who are getting a feel for it, but we like to think we're improving,” said veteran Central coach Terry Totten.

Central's offense is directed by sophomore and first-year starting quarterback Payton Wehner, who has thrown for 603 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He's also scored four times on the ground.

“He knows what we're trying to get done offensively, is pretty efficient and has taken care of the ball for the most part,” said Totten.

Senior running back Gannon Carothers has carried the ball 103 times for 593 yards and eight scores.

The Vikings are led on defense by 6-foot-2, 275-pound senior nose guard Donovan Hinish, a Notre Dame commit, and sophomore middle linebacker Anthony Speca (6-3, 225), who leads Central with 41 tackles.

As a unit, the defense has 10 sacks this season while forcing nine turnovers.

Aside from a 49-35 win at Pine-Richland Sept. 10, Central has been very stout defensively.

Who would be starting on SV's offensive line was still unknown just two months ago. But the Raiders have pulled players from other positions to field an effective front.

Right guard Owen Moran is the only one of the group to play on the line last season.

Center Ben Correll missed all of 2020 with an ACL injury. Left guard Lucas Lambert was a halfback last year, and tackles Devin Webb and Caden Matthews previously played fullback and tight end, respectively.

The quintet will be facing its stiffest challenge to date Friday.

“I like their toughness,” Butschle said of his line, “but they're also great athletes. We're not as big up front as we've been in the past, but all the guys are improving.”

SV junior quarterback Graham Hancox has thrown for 807 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. His top target is junior wide receiver Luke Lawson, who has 19 receptions for 272 yards and two scores over the last two games.

“Luke is a very talented kid who has a good relationship with Graham,” Butschle said. “They've been playing football since their youth league days.

“Luke is very smart and he understands the concepts of the offense.”

Senior running back Nolan Dworek leads the Raiders with 177 yards on 38 carries with two total touchdowns, though he did not play against Hempfield Sept. 17. His absence was not injury-related.

“It was a coach's decision,” said Butschle. “We need Nolan to have a renewed energy. He has to play well Friday. That will be key for us.”

Central defeated the Raiders last year, 33-7.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Carnegie Mellon University's Gesling Stadium.