Seneca Valley is proving that boys' lacrosse is beginning to get a stronger foothold in Western Pennsylvania.

The Raiders (9-3 overall, 3-0 in the Western Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association's Division 1 North) have been running neck-and-neck with rival North Allegheny (10-1) as the top-ranked team in the WPSLA for the past month in the Laxpower.com computer rankings.

Two of Seneca Valley's losses have occurred against teams from eastern Pennsylvania where lacrosse is more established. Both were by just two goals: 12-10 to the Hill School and 9-7 to Warwick. The other loss was a tight 5-4 decision against defending WPSLA champion Mt. Lebanon.

With victories this season against traditional powerhouses Shady Side Academy and Franklin Regional and up-and-coming Central Catholic, Seneca Valley has established itself as an elite program in this area.

Next season, boys' lacrosse becomes a WPIAL-sanctioned sport and with a successful middle school program in place, the Raiders are positioned to succeed at the highest level well beyond this season.

First-year coach Peter Hoffman, the head coach the three previous years at Shady Side Academy, leads the Raiders program.

If Seneca Valley can win the final WPSLA championship slated for May 31 at Bethel Park, the Raiders would become the first "expansion" team to win the championship.

The WPSLA began conducting a championship tournament in 1990 and the only five schools to claim the crown -- Sewickley Academy, Franklin Regional, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Shady Side Academy -- have had boys' lacrosse teams at least since 1991.

Seneca Valley did not start playing boys' lacrosse until 2001 and became a full-fledged member of the league a year later. The program has been competitive since 2003 when it posted a 13-7 record.

Only five seniors play a significant amount: midfielders Evan McGoogan and Matt Hamill, all-league defender Jesse Puskar, goalie Ryan Mayeda and defender A.J. Lacey, a former midfielder headed to play at Division II Seton Hill University.

"[Lacey] has really been a big plus to our defense, making it more solid," Hoffman said.

McGoogan, an all-league player with 17 goals, has been recruited by the Naval Academy, an NCAA Division 1 Top-20 program.

The top scorer on the team is only a junior, attacker Colin O'Donoghue, who has netted 30 goals.

The other top scorers on the team area also juniors: attackers Jason Handerhan and Jake McAndrew along with midfielder Brent Rotz. Junior defender Austin Brockway also plays a key role for the Raiders.

"Except for Colin, we don't have anybody else who is a big-time scorer, but we have a lot of guys who contribute every game," said Hoffman, noting all the starting attackmen and offensive midfielders have scored in the 14- to 20-goal range this season. "We've had several games where we've had six or seven guys scoring goals."

Seneca Valley has several big games left on the regular season schedule before the playoffs begin May 16-17. The biggest contest is May 9 at North Allegheny in what will most likely settle the division title.

"We're leery of some of these games coming up, not just the NA game," Hoffman said. "There is so much parity in the league.

"Fortunately, we've been able to keep the team going one game at a time. Taking that approach, we've been able to avoid letdowns. That issue will have to be addressed as we get ready for that game.