PENN HILLS — Breaking in eight new defensive starters wouldn’t have been easy in any setting for the Seneca Valley football team.

Attempting to do so Friday night at Yuhas-McGinley Stadium against talent-rich Penn Hills was going to provide headaches. Indians quarterback Julian Dugger, a Pitt commit, provided many of the brain-splitting aches for Seneca Valley, tossing for two touchdowns and 155 yards in a 33-20 non-conference win.

“It was a good test,” sophomore defensive lineman Tommy Wuycheck said. “But any team can be great.”

The pain from those aches for Seneca Valley was eased by the flashes of improvement. The Raiders only allowed Penn Hills to score seven points after halftime. During the second quarter, Wuycheck intercepted a Dugger pass.

Seneca Valley (0-1) quickly cashed in that interception with a 35-yard field goal by Jake Adams to cut the deficit to 20-10.

“We thought through adversity and had to come back and be mentally tough as a team,” Wuycheck said.

What immediately followed Adams’ kick was a big problem for the Raiders.

When Penn Hills’ skill guys hit big plays, they hurt Seneca Valley on the scoreboard. Penn Hills return man Martel Palmer returned the ensuing kick 69 yards for a touchdown to stretch the lead back out to 17 points.

“It wasn’t an Xs and Os adjustment,” Raiders coach Ron Butschle said. “Listen, we were playing a freshman, multiple sophomores and guys who had never been on a field on a Friday night. In the first half, we had some bumps to get over.”

Penn Hills (1-0) also built its lead in devastating fashion. Cam Thomas, who has an offer from Akron, hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Dugger on fourth-and-eight as the clock expired to give Penn Hills a lead it would never lose.

Seneca Valley’s mistakes would quickly compound. Thomas’ touchdown kicked off a stretch of less than 45 seconds on the game clock where Penn Hills would register three touchdowns. The Raiders fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Penn Hills recovered on the Seneca Valley 38.

On the next play, Dugger found Palmer for a 37-yard touchdown pass that stretched the lead to 14-0. On Seneca Valley’s next drive, Raiders senior quarterback Sean O’Shea was intercepted by Tajuan Bandy, who returned the ball 15 yards for a score.

In a stretch of 29 seconds to open the second quarter, Penn Hills grew its lead from seven to 20.

“I didn’t even realize that was the time,” Indians coach Charles Morris said. “I was focused on our kids. Executing, having some fun and making sure to get our offense to the next level.”

Seneca Valley’s offense found their legs following Bandy’s touchdown. The Raiders went 66 yards on eight plays, capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown reception from O’Shea to Adam Gehm. O’Shea, who finished with 79 rushing yards, had four carries on the drive for 33 yards.

In the third quarter, the Raiders hit on a big play of their own. Kai West took a handoff from O’Shea, broke a tackle and rumbled for a 50-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 27-17 with 6:56 left in the third quarter. West finished with a team-high 95 rushing yards. Another Adams field goal would cut the lead to seven points late, but a late 30-yard rushing touchdown by Amir Key put the game out of reach.

“I know we lost the game, but I’m proud of this group,” Butschle said. “These guys showed me their heart.”

Seneca Valley 0 10 7 3-20

Penn Hills 7 20 0 6-33

First Quarter

P - Cam Thomas 14 pass from Julian Dugger (Landon Hankey kick), 0:00

Second Quarter

P - Martel Palmer 38 pass from Dugger (Hankey kick), 11:47

P - Tajuan Bandy 15 interception return (Kick blocked), 11:31’

S - Adam Gehm 4 pass from Sean O’Shea (Jake Adams), 7:54

S - Adams 35 field goal, 3:36

P - Martel Palmer 69 kick return (Hankey kick), 3:23

Third Quarter

S - Kai West 50 run (Adams kick), 6:56

Fourth Quarter

S - Adams 32 field goal, 2:25

P - Key 30 run (Hankey kick), 1:16

Rushing: Seneca Valley, Kai West 14-95, Sean O’Shea 19-79. Penn Hills, Amir Key 16-107, Julian Dugger 10-15, Naytel Mitchell 1-7.

Passing: Seneca Valley, Sean O’Shea 8-20-52-1, Parker Brugos 0-1-0-0, Kai West 0-1-0-1. Penn Hills, Julian Dugger 9-21-155-1.

Receiving: Seneca Valley, Luke Challingsworth 3-20, Adam Gehm 2-17, Cayden Parker 1-11, Kai West 2-4. Penn Hills, Martel Palmer 2-65, Cam Thomas 3-61, De’Andre Cochran 2-22, Naytel Mitchell 1-7, Tajuan Bandy 1-3.