By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @Gdsullysays
When talk turns to the best football programs in South Jersey, teams such as Millville, Winslow, Holy Spirit, St. Augustine Prep and Mainland Regional often are mentioned.
A team that’s rarely mentioned is Seneca.
Now, the Golden Eagles surely aren’t among the elite of the West Jersey Football League, but they are steadily building a reputation as a winning program. That started under Bill Fisher and has continued this year under first-year skipper Anthony Diorio.
Seneca heads into the sectional semifinals with a 7-3 record after scoring a comeback 13-10 win over Timber Creek in the opening round on Friday night. In 2021 the Golden Eagles went 3-7, losing five of their last six games — the lone win coming in a consolation crossover game against Pinelands Regional.
Since then, however, all Seneca has done is gone 27-7 — including 5-2 in the state playoffs. The Eagles also have made it to the sectional championship game in each of the last two seasons, as they went 20-4 during Fisher’s final two campaigns.
“The previous two years we were 20-4 and this year we’re 7-3. We’re doing a great job. The kids have bought into the culture and it’s just been awesome to watch and be a part of,” Diorio said. “These guys have great heads on them — they are very confident, but they’re also very humble. This is the best place to work.”
Seneca graduated a lot from those back-to-back 10-win, sectional finals teams, and this year the Golden Eagles are starting more than a half dozen sophomores, including quarterback Anthony Tirico, who took over last year for dual-threat signal caller Brayden Davis. Sophomore Nate Sauerwald has nearly 300 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and Chase Horner, Jahseh Jett and Robert Livingstone have made key contributions on defense.
“It tells you that our seniors are doing a great job of leading, and those sophomores are doing a great job on the field,” Diorio said.
Tirico is the key to everything, though. He threw for more than 1,800 yards and 17 touchdowns as a skinny freshman last year, and this year he’s thrown for more than 1,400 yards and added 745 rushing yards while accounting for 21 touchdowns. He also doesn’t turn the ball over all that much, throwing 13 interceptions the past two years in 414 pass attempts — or at just a three percent clip.
“I’m young, obviously. I just turned 16 a few days ago and it’s fun to say that I’ve only played one game as a 16-year-old,” Tirico said after Friday’s win over Timber Creek. “I’ve grown a lot (this season), both mentally and physically. I’ve gotten hit a lot, but I love it. Last year, I was smaller — probably about 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. But I’ve put on some muscle (now 5-11, 185) and I definitely love the contact.”
The biggest growth for Tirico this season, he said, has been between the ears.
“A big part of it for me is the mental game. I can’t get into my own head,” he said. “It’s about staying in the pocket, trusting those guys up front to do what I know they can do. That’s really all it is, just trusting those guys up front and the receivers to get where they need to go. Trust is a big part of (our success).”
The Golden Eagles will go into the sectional semifinals this week as marked underdogs against undefeated and top-seeded Hopewell Valley (10-0), but their used to that. They played that role the last two years in sectional final losses to Camden and Delsea.
“We’re excited,” Diorio said. “They are an incredible team that’s well coached, but we have another game. We love it.”
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT?
The first round of the state playoffs were full of exciting moments. Here’s a quick recap of some of the best:
Ice Cup delivers: Atlantic City senior receiver Sah’nye Degraffenreidt, better known as “Ice Cup”, was way too much for Eastern to handle as he racked up 244 yards and five touchdowns on just six catches in the Vikings’ 47-15 win.
Chaos at Carey Stadium: In Central Jersey Group 3, Ocean City somehow outlasted Allentown, 42-34, staving off the Redbirds after Allentown put up 20 fourth-quarter points. Allentown rushed for just 23 yards, but QB Matthew Schweitzer passed for nearly 400 plus four TDs. Sheesh!
A couple of firsts: A few teams got their first-ever playoff wins, including Riverside and Manchester, which beat West Deptford 30-29 on Ian Spicer’s last-second, 38-yard field goal.
Top dogs: In the Central and South Jersey public school sections, all the No. 1 seeds advanced and none were really threatened. The biggest upset, seed-wise, was No. 7 Delsea upending No. 2 Burlington Township in Central Jersey Group 3. The Crusaders — defending state champs who now have just three wins on the season — look for another upset on Friday night when they travel to Egg Harbor City to take on No. 3 Cedar Creek.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
