By LARRY HENRY JR.
Correspondent
Not many freshman quarterbacks are given the reins early in their high school career, but Seneca High’s Anthony Tirico was a rare exception in 2023.
Tirico helped Seneca to a 10-2 record for the second consecutive season and a spot in the South Jersey Group 3 final. Although the Golden Eagles’ quest of lifting the sectional crown fell short in a 43-7 loss to Delsea, Tirico was a major bright spot that new head coach Anthony Diorio will rely heavily on in 2024.
Tirico said he has major aspirations to help Seneca get over every hurdle in its way.
“We just definitely cannot make mistakes,” Tirico said. “We can’t turn the ball over, either. I think we’ve got the best defensive coordinator in South Jersey in coach Diorio.”
Tirico was a key dual threat quarterback in Bill Fisher’s offense last season, throwing for 1,841 yards, rushing for another 333 yards and totaling 20 total touchdowns. He only threw seven interceptions in his 12 games started, leading Seneca to impressive victories over Cherokee, Moorestown, Highland and Cinnaminson.
Being able to give the newly retired Fisher a winning send-off was something that Tirico enjoyed the most, especially after Fisher trusted him in the early days of his high school career. Seneca topped Cherokee, 13-6, in its final game last season.
“Working with coach Fisher was a blessing,” Tirico said. “I’ve actually known coach Fisher since I was pretty young, him and my dad have a really good coaching connection. He’s always been a part of my life in some way during football, and last year he was just the leader we needed. He was there to lead us, give us that mentality pregame, and give us speeches to help motivate us. He really led us to that 10-2 record last year and we can’t thank him enough.”
Tirico will have a new head coach on the sidelines this season with former defensive coordinator Diorio taking over. Diorio, a Shawnee High graduate, has been part of the Seneca coaching staff for the past five seasons, working under the successful leadership of Fisher.
Although it won’t be the familiar face of Fisher talking to him on every play, Tirico said he is excited to continue working with Diorio. Tirico threw for nearly 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Seneca’s season-opening, 21-14 loss to Williamstown last weekend. He also rushed for a team-high 75 yards on 13 carries.
“He’s kept us in the Seneca mold for sure,” Tirico said about Diorio’s transition to head coach. “We have three words — fast, fearless and relentless — so we go by that every day. We feed off his words during practices and on game days and is really pushing us to be the best we can be. I can’t thank him enough for that and I think that he will want us to be that much better this season because he knows what we are capable of.”
Tirico might not have been part of Seneca’s 10-2 season in 2022, but has been able to continue the hard work that the past group of graduates have started. Three years removed from a 3-7 campaign, the Golden Eagles have registered a combined 20-4 record over the past two seasons, becoming a favorite to make a deep playoff run again this year.
Tirico credited his current and former teammates for helping him get quickly acclimated to the Seneca family.
“It was great to be a key player for the team, the group really adopted me into this family, and brought me under their wing,” Tirico said. “We had 22 seniors last year, so just being accepted by them, accepted by these coaches, it was a great feeling. Now it’s my turn to be a leader for the team and to help the young players make their name as part of the program.”
Seneca’s leading rusher from last season is gone due to Zac Fearon’s graduation, but they do have a key playmaker back for Tirico to lean on. Senior Jamar Warthen had 80 touches for 846 combined yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 and is the only returning playmaker who registered 100 yards or more. Warthen had 110 yards from scrimmage plus a touchdown in the loss to Williamstown.
Warthen’s explosive abilities have already earned him praise from Tirico heading into the new season.
“He’s a stud for sure,” Tirico said. “We have been putting so much work in over the offseason, so we definitely have that connection. We’re looking for those big plays, we’re looking for those bang-bang plays where we can just make magic happen. Jamar has the ability to make those big plays happen for us and we will definitely need him this season.”
Seneca’s 2024 schedule has certainly gotten tougher, which will provide a lot of tough tests for Tirico and his teammates. Haddonfield, Pleasantville, Willingboro and Hammonton are just a few of the opponents for the Golden Eagles this fall.
The road back to the playoffs will certainly be tough for Seneca, but Tirico said he is confident that a grueling schedule could be a motivational spark for the team to finally bring that sectional title home this December.
“Our goal is to lift that blue trophy, a sectional title,” Tirico added. “Being able to bring that back to Seneca would be a blessing and I definitely think that we have the squad to do it.”
