JACKSON TWP — Will Hugo was hoping to play soccer in college — until college football programs came calling.

The Seneca Valley senior kicker signed a letter of intent to play football at Gannon University Tuesday.

Other programs that showed interest in Hugo included Slippery Rock University, Lock Haven, Allegheny College and West Virginia Wesleyan.

Hugo was swayed toward Gannon by the school's strong business program and a pair of future teammates.

"They have two kickers who will be seniors next season," Hugo said. "One is a kickoff guy and the other kicks field goals. I should be redshirted next year and I can learn a lot off of those guys."

Hugo took over the kicking duties at Seneca Valley as a junior in 2008, but he had played soccer since he was very young. He was a defender for the Raiders soccer team the last two seasons.

"Last fall, I really had no idea what I'd play in college," said Hugo. "At the time, I was more interested in playing soccer."

That all began to change with a Northern Six football showdown with North Hills at home Oct. 9.

Hugo opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 50-yard field goal, which was the longest in school history.

In the second quarter, he nailed one from 42 yards out to help Seneca Valley grab a 21-14 victory.

"We always run simulating drills in practice, where we run the field goal team out there with the clock winding down," said SV coach Don Holl. "The defense gets conditioning points if the kick is missed, so we put Will in some pressure situations before that North Hills game, even though it was in practice.

"And he was lights out from pretty far away," Holl added.

But Hugo was just getting started.

Two weeks later, the Raiders faced a 17-0 deficit entering the final quarter at Pine-Richland.

Following an SV touchdown, Hugo kicked a 43-yarder to cut his team's deficit to 17-10, then split the uprights from a school-record 52 yards out with 30 seconds left, giving the Raiders a 19-17 victory that clinched a WPIAL playoff berth.

His five field goals in 2009 came from an average distance of 45 yards.

"The thing I'm most proud of is that I didn't let my teammates down in those situations," said Hugo.

As Hugo prepares to contribute in football at Gannon, his other sport will take a back seat.

"I miss soccer already," he said. "I'm hoping to play for a club team at Gannon, if I can find the time.

"I want to make an impact on the football team and come out of college a better and smarter person," he added.

Gannon has improved its record in all three of head coach Jim Kiernan's seasons with the program, including 6-5 overall last season, 3-4 in the PSAC

"Will has a strong enough leg that he can grow and succeed as a kicker at the college level," said Holl.