BUTLER TWP — Seneca Valley is all too familiar with being WPIAL Section 3-3A’s odd man out when it comes to postseason positioning.

Against the Golden Tornado Tuesday afternoon, the Raiders refused to once again play that role. With an 80-70 win at Art Bernardi Stadium, they denied Butler (6-1) sole possession of a section title.

Instead, the two teams will share the crown with North Allegheny.

“I think it speaks to how strong our section is every year,” SV coach Ray Peaco said. “More times than not, Seneca Valley is the third team that never gets in. I think there’s probably been many, many years where we’re probably the third-best team in the WPIAL, but we didn’t get a chance to show it.

“The co-champion thing is nice, but getting into the playoffs and getting that chance to show everybody out there ... that we do have a track program at Seneca is very meaningful for us.”

The Raiders (6-1) received winning efforts from Jonathon Price (110-meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump), Eli DeWitt (1,600 meters), Kyler Matson (300-meter hurdles), Ryan Domencic (800 meters), and Graham Hancox (javelin). Supplementary points were also crucial, added Peaco.

“You don’t win a meet like this with one kid or two kids,” he said. “You win it with everybody doing their thing and getting those seconds and thirds.”

SV claimed 36 of the 45 possible second-place points.

“Last week, we lost to NA, so I knew we had to do everything in our power that we could do to beat Butler today,” said Price, who added a second-place finish in the 100 meters. “I just went out there, I tried my best ... I did everything I could.”

“In just about every area, there weren’t any disappointments,” Peaco said. “Butler’s always got a great program. They’re well-coached. We knew we’d be in for a dogfight, and the kids performed.

“On paper, we thought we had a shot, and the kids went out and did it ... Any time you can beat a Butler or be involved in the NA conversation, that’s a lot to be proud of.”

Golden Tornado coach Mike Seybert chalked the disappointing defeat up to a lack of preparedness and urgency.

“It should have never happened to a team of what we’re built on,” Seybert said. “It starts at the top with me and the whole way down ... We were caught flat-footed and they (Seneca Valley) had a hell of a meet.

“It won’t happen again.”

Butler was without injured junior sprinter Landon Lacey and standout distance runner Drew Griffith entered the meet planning on resting an ailing calf. He wound up winning the two-mile run at the behest of Seybert.

The Golden Tornado also swept the relay events.

“I said to the kids yesterday, ‘Typically, you can’t lose three relays and win a meet,’” Peaco said. “I said, ‘But I think, on paper, this could happen.’ That’s exactly what happened. We lost all three relays and still won the meet.

“I couldn’t be happier with the coaches and the way that we scouted it out and who we put where. Everybody performed.”

Peaco said he’s going to lobby to host the WPIAL team semifinals next week. Butler will also be competing, but the two will not be meeting one another again in that playoff round.

“We haven’t lost a meet in a long time, so we’ll see what our team is made of, from top to bottom,” Seybert said. “We’ll be on the road, I’m sure ... Lesson’s learned.”

Butler 81.66, Seneca Valley 68.33

Golden Tornado (5-2) senior Megan Baggetta won the long jump, triple jump, and was part of the first-place 400-meter relay team as her squad finished the campaign with a win.

Freshman Rylee Jack had one of her fastest times of the year in the 100-meter dash, Ava Brewster finished first in the mile and two-mile races, and Lauren Bowden won the 300-meter hurdles.

“When you do this stuff for three and a half hours — or whatever it takes to get to this point — you don’t want it to come down to one event or two events,” Butler coach John Williams said.

Peaco was happy with what he saw from his group. Claire Riehl stood out for the Raiders (4-3) with wins in the 400-meter run and the 200-meter dash. That sort of effort was one Peaco would have liked to see earlier in the go-round.

“They had gotten thumped pretty handily to NA and Pine-Richland,” he said. “I think, if they’d have taken the attitude and performances today, they would have beaten one of those two.”

Boys

Seneca Valley 80, Butler 70

3,200 relay: Butler (Logan Rogers, Ethan Thomas, Zach Slear, Drew Knight); 110 hurdles: Jonathon Price (SV) 15.40; 100 dash: David Graef (B) 11.44; 1,600 run: Eli DeWitt (SV) 4:52.34; 400 run: Aaron Stebick (B) 52.35; 400 relay: Butler (Jacob Fallecker, Declan Dobson, Grayden Brown, DaShawn Cox) 45.13; 300 hurdles: Kyler Matson (SV) 42.66; 800 run: Ryan Domencic (SV) 2:04.87; 200 dash: David Graef (B) 23.15; 3,200 run: Drew Griffith (B) 9:53.30; 1,600 relay: Butler (Chris Rubcic, Drew Knight, David Graef, Aaron Stebick) 3:35.68

Shot put: Markeis Frazier (B) 44-6; Discus: Craver (SV) 127-4; Javelin: Graham Hancox (SV) 156-4; High jump: Luke Campbell (B) 5-11; Long jump: Jonathon Price (SV) 22-3.5; Triple jump: Jonathon Price (SV) 44-11; Pole vault: Troy Ritson (B) 11-0

Girls

Butler 81.66, Seneca Valley 68.33

3,200 relay: Seneca Valley (Sarah Vescio, Hannah Jones, Delaney Mansfield, Sonya Dietz) 10:12.69; 100 hurdles: Adraya Baxter (B) 17.36; 100 dash: Rylee Jack (B) 13.38; 1,600 run: Ava Brewster (B) 5:38.95; 400 run: Claire Riehl (SV) 1:07.42; 400 relay: Butler (Megan Baggetta, Lauren Bowden, Rylee Jack, Aubree Rock) 52.37; 300 hurdles: Lauren Bowden (B) 48.29; 800 run: Madi McGarrah (B) 2:31.08; 200 dash: Claire Riehl (SV) 27.20; 3,200 run: Ava Brewster (B) 12:26.48; 1,600 relay: Seneca Valley (Cassie Leonard, Kailee George, Sonya Dietz, Claire Riehl) 4:10.47

Shot put: Payton Slagle (B) 30-4; Discus: Carlie Baker (B) 95-7; Javelin: Addie Weaver (SV) 95-1; High jump: Grace Nichols (B) 5-0; Long jump: Megan Baggetta (B) 16-9; Triple jump: Megan Baggetta (B) 37-2; Pole vault: Maura Wertheimer (SV) 8-6