This year, the Seneca Valley varsity football team has been getting a lot of attention, as the Raiders have a strong returning team full of veteran players. Although there is a lot of pressure on senior sensations Jordan Brown, three year starting quarterback, and Forrest Barnes, running back, there is another person who will be vital to the team if they want to go to the playoffs and WIPIAL championship.  That vital person is number 40, senior Ryan McCauley.

McCauley is one of the team’s three permanent captains and is a very versatile player because he is skilled enough to play several key positions on both sides of the ball.  On the offensive side, he plays tight end and wide receiver, and on defense, he plays outside linebacker.

Last year, McCauley was part of a highly talented group of juniors that started on the varsity football team.  On defense, he was one of the team’s top tacklers with over 50 tackles.  Meanwhile, on offense, he proved himself over and over as one of Brown’s favorite targets to throw to in pressure situations.

This year, the Raiders had their season opener at home against their section rivals, the Butler Golden Tornadoes, on Friday, August 31.  McCauley started off the year hot and came up with several big plays, including making several tackles and having a key interception in the fourth quarter.  On offense, he was an unstoppable force, scoring two touchdowns in the 24-9 victory for the Raiders.

In the second game, Captain McCauley didn’t score, but he did have several important catches and stopped the Rams’s offense with a number of great tackles.  His contributions were one of the reasons why the Raiders won by a score of 50-26 and now have a 2-0 record.

When asked about what his secret to such a successful season, McCauley said, “It is all about practice.  If you work hard in practice and don’t slack off, the hard work will pay off when it comes to game time.”

In the Raider loss to the North Alleghany Tigers Ryan McCauley injured his ankle and was forced to skip the following game against Connellsville.

Ryan McCauley come back and came back big for the Raiders in their game against the Central Catholic Vikings. He was an unstoppable force on both sides of the ball. On defense Ryan was a steel wall and forced two fumbles, had a couple of sacks, and ground the potent offense of Central Catholic to a halt.

While on offense he was able to make several big third down catches that kept the Raider drives going. In addition to that, the captain scored two touchdowns in a big offensive night for the Seneca Valley Raiders.

Ryan hopes to carry on his hot streak against Shaler next Friday night.