South Range's Aiden Dominguez (34 ) breaks the tackle attempt of Indian's Mykel Collier-Dixon (1) to gain the 1st down. MICHAEL G. TAYLOR | TRIBUNE-VINDICATOR

BEAVER TOWNSHIP — The adage claims that it is hard to beat the same team twice in the same season. But a program like South Range is no ordinary team.

The top-seeded Raiders used the familiarity of playing league rival Girard to help dismantle the eighth-seeded Indians 49-30 to advance in Division V, Region 17 playoffs. The Raiders will play in a District Semi-Final next Friday with a kickoff set for 7:00 PM.

“You look at the film from the first time around and you look at some of the matchups. Some they were winning and some we were winning. You try to put your guys in the best position possible, and I think we did,” Raiders head coach David Rach said. “We did a good job of maintaining our poise and kept on playing.”

“Hats off to coach Rach and their program, they are outstanding” Indians head coach Pat Pearson said. “I thought our kids battled back into it. We battled the adversity.”

Following the victory, the Raiders remain unbeaten on the year with a 12-0 record. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Raiders have advanced to the semi-finals in the districts.

With the loss, the Indians closed the season with a 7-5 record. They lost to the Raiders 55-27 back in week #7 of the regular season which was also played at South Range.

“We have such a strong family team,” Pearson remarked. “I’m proud of them and the effort we gave. I just love this team and couldn’t be more proud to be their coach.”

The Raiders did not waste any time in taking charge of the contest as they scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 advantage by the close of the first quarter. Aiden Dominguez scored on a 42-yard run, followed by a 2-yard run by quarterback Tristan Toy. Toy would score 3 touchdowns on the night.

“That was big,” Rach commented. “We got a couple of good stops there defensively, and then we were able to cash in offensively. That was big since I think it’s easier to run from the front when you’re playing against good teams. The margin of error is small.”

But the Indians fought back with a 16-yard pass from Dominick Tolone to Nick Rafferty, and a 28-yard field goal by Andrew Whitfield to cut the deficit to 14-10 by the 3:53 mark of the second quarter.

The Raiders would respond with a quick 4-play drive as Toy scored on a 5-yard scamper. They would hold a 21-10 advantage at the intermission.

The Raiders would jump on the Indians on the opening kickoff of the second half as Dylan Smesko raced 92 yards to provide them with a commanding 28-10 lead.

The two teams would trade touchdowns as the Indians scored on a 5-yard run by Josiah Hunter at the 4:59 mark of the third quarter, followed by a 20-yard pass from Toy to Heath Crouse with just 1:52 remaining in the frame. That made it 35-17 in favor of the Raiders.

Following a 73-yard pass from Tolone to Will Hynes, the Indians cut the deficit to 35-23 with 7:11 remaining in the contest. However, the Raiders would score twice as Toy scored his third touchdown on the night with 3:41 left, and then the Raiders defense scored on a 42-yard fumble return by Luke Starkey to make it 49-23.

The Indians kept fighting to the end as they scored with just 1:40 left in the game as Hunter scored on a 3-yard run. The score was set up on a 75-yard run by Hunter to the 3.

“We have a bunch of kids that have a lot of heart who love each other their community and love playing ball. They battled all year, and we had a lot of close games. These kids never turned on each other and they stayed the course and believed in each other,” Pearson said.