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Sports

Seneca Valley Boys Lacrosse Team Beats Pine-Richland, Heads to Playoffs

Raiders again qualify for the WPIAL playoffs after 13-10 victory over the Rams.

For three quarters,’s boys team demonstrated why it advanced all the way to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association semifinals last season.

The Raiders used a relentless offensive attack and a stubborn defense to build a commanding lead on Pine-Richland. Seneca Valley senior attacker Will Koontz’s breakaway goal made it 11-3 early in the second half and the game appeared over.

While Seneca Valley qualified for the WPIAL playoffs again with a 13-10 victory Thursday night at Pine-Richland, a late Rams rally wasn’t the finish Raiders coach Peet Poillon was expecting from his pressure-tested team, which is known for finishing strong.

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With big games against Franklin Regional and North Allegheny coming up next week, Poillon said the game should serve as a wake-up call before the playoffs.

“We’re a really good team when we put it all together and play as a team,” Poillon said. “Going down the stretch the rest of the season, we’re going to have to play a full 48-minute game.

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“But we’re in the playoffs now, and that’s good news,” he said. “We’ve just got to continue to get better if we want to have success in the playoffs.”

Seneca Valley moved to 3-0 against WPIAL opponents and 6-5 overall in a season that has included numerous games against top teams from neighboring states.

Junior attacker David Hall led Seneca Valley with four goals, including three goals before halftime when Seneca Valley extended the lead.

After the Raiders took a 2-1 lead in the opening quarter, Koontz added three goals in the second and third quarters.

“I thought we played strong in the second and third quarters, and effort was there,” Koontz said. “Then we kind of let down in the fourth quarter, which is all kind of mental. We have a lot of potential, but it all comes down to us keeping it together for all four quarters. We’ve had trouble doing that this season, but that’s what needs to happen.”

Koontz pushed his season total to 30 goals, coming off a 42-goal, 24-assist season in his first year at Seneca Valley after transferring from lacrosse power St. Anthony’s High School in Long Island, N.Y.

“I’m not worried about statistics, as long as we’re playing together as a team,” he said. “We have a lot to build on from last season, and a lot to work on this season. We’ve played a lot of out-of-conference games until now. Now, it’s all about the little things clicking.”

Seneca Valley sophomore Cole Fyock added two goals and an assist, and juniors Thomas Brendan, Mike Argyros, Brady Marburger and sophomore Derek Finney all contributed one goal each.

“We’re a great team when we click and we’re focused,” Poillon said. “But when we let up, we let up, and it’s going to be that consistency coming down the stretch that gets us to where we want to go.”

Seneca Valley goalie Jake Succop made seven saves before leaving the game in the second half. Raiders sophomore backup goalie Jordan Culichia came up with a pair of saves.

Pine-Richland fell to 6-4 overall and remained eligible for the playoffs, but lost the chance to control its post-season destiny.

“I’m proud of our boys,” Pine-Richland coach Jim Vollberg said. “They didn’t put their heads down and fought to the end. Seneca Valley is one of the top teams in the area, and our kids hung right with them. We picked it up in the fourth quarter.”

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