Seneca made a strong move forward in their third round of regional playoffs, winning their Saturday, Nov. 5 game against Highland 30-6.

Managing to hold the ball for just over 10 minutes, the Indians held a 16-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter with senior running back John Alanis helping move the team forward with 74 yards on 12 carries. Alanis would finish the day with 38 carries for 233 yards averaging just over six yards per carry.

Seneca quarterback Trenton Payne’s five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter brought the score to 22-0. Payne also scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a five-yard run.

Jordan Boone, who was previously reported to be out for the season following a leg injury in the Cassville game, has returned to the lineup. Boone caught a pass for eight yards in the Indians victory over the Cardinals.

By all appearances, the Indians had it within their grasp to make a third postseason shutout, when the Cardinal’s Blake Bodenstein managed a 72-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that turned out being Highland’s only scoring play of the game.

Seneca’s defense unit has not allowed a score since the regular season loss to DeSoto.

Seneca’s Alanis made a nine-yard run in the third for another Indian touchdown, leading the Indians to score a total of eight points for the quarter.

The teams held each other in check through the fourth quarter.

“John’s been our workhorse throughout the season and we rode him tonight,” Seneca coach Steven Kramer said of Alanis’s 233 yards of rushing in the game. “He’s durable, taken a lot of hits, but the majority of his runs come after the first hit, and he initiates it.”

How good were the Highland Cardinals going into the game against Seneca last week?

The Cardinals won the Six River Conference championship this year.

“We’re playing our best football of the year right now,” a happy coach Kramer said after the team’s third playoff victory. “The team is giving a tremendous effort. It’s a full-team effort every game.”

Things won’t get any easier for the Indians this Saturday at Middleton High School at 4 p.m. when they must face Burlington Catholic Central in a semifinal game.

The Hilltoppers are 8-4.  It’s not the first time Seneca faced the parochial school from southeastern Wisconsin. The teams met in 2006.

“Burlington Catholic Central has a very good program,” Kramer said. “They’re very athletic. They score a lot of points, but allow a lot of points also.”

Will the Indian defense be up to the task? Stay tuned.

The Seneca Indians beat the Hillsboro Tigers two weeks ago earning the right to face Highland.