Seneca Valley grinds out win over Mt. Lebanon

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, September 15, 2018 | 1:00 AM

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Through one half of play Friday night, neither Seneca Valley or Mt. Lebanon could gain any significant advantage over the other.

That all changed just 14 seconds into the second half and led Seneca Valley to a 17-14 victory.

After a Lucas DeCaro fumble was recovered by Cornell recruit Jake Stebbins, Seneca Valley found the end zone one play later, a 37-yard strike from junior Gabe Lawson to senior Luke Smith.

Another 4 minutes later, Seth Winters chipped in a 20-yard field goal to give the Raiders all the points they needed.

“We struggled with some things in the first half,” Seneca Valley coach Ron Butschle said. “In the second half, we controlled the ball better, and we grinded it out when we had to. Tonight was the definition of grind.”

Grind. That is what Seneca Valley’s motto is, thanks in part to its smashmouth style of running and an offensive line that averages 6-foot-4, 275 pounds. Three of the five starters in Friday’s game were over 6’-5.

That line opened up holes for Lawson, who was the ultimate grinder offensively. Statistically, he only completed 5 of his 15 passes, but they went for 118 yards and the touchdown. He carried the ball 13 times for 23 yards and a score.

“We made some halftime adjustments that changed the game for us,” Lawson said. “(Mt. Lebanon) blitzed a lot, so a lot of quick passes worked. We were able to find their strengths and weaknesses and (the touchdown to Smith) just so happened to work out in our favor.”

Seneca Valley was outgained offensively 292-227, but held a Mt. Lebanon passing game, which averages 232 yards, to just 147 yards. Blue Devils senior quarterback Seth Morgan completed just 8 of his 29 passes for 94 yards. The other 53 yards came off of double reverse touchdown pass from senior Lucas Decaro to fellow senior Tim Walters.

“We had some bad things go against us,” Mt. Lebanon coach Mike Melnyk said. “However, we didn’t let those things distract us from our play.”

The defense did well in defeat, holding the opposition to its lowest point total all season. JB Nelson, Michael Palmer, Tommy McClain and Mason Ventrone all were key pieces of a defense anchored by Melnyk, who took over as defensive coordinator this season.

“We’ve gotten to know what our kids are good at, and they’re starting to get more comfortable with what we’re running defensively,” Melnyk said.

Seneca Valley enters a two-week road stretch with a game at winless Butler next week, where Butschle has not ruled out the possibility of Lawson and senior Caden Smithco splitting time under center. Smithco filled in for Lawson in a Week 1 loss to Central Catholic.

Meanwhile, Mt. Lebanon hosts North Allegheny next week. The Tigers, led by Penn State recruit Joey Porter, Jr., ended the Blue Devils season last year in the WPIAL quarterfinals and have won nine straight games over Mt. Lebanon.

Brandon Rossi is a freelance writer.

Tags: Mt. lebanon, Seneca Valley