Jimmy and the Championship Factory
As I sat in my tree stand a couple of weeks ago, less than 24 hours removed from Southern Columbia wrapping up another undefeated state championship winning season, something really hit me. Don’t get worried, it wasn’t a bullet or an arrow, but rather a sense of guilt. Sitting high in a tree as the bitter air blew, I felt bitter with myself. I wasn’t as excited after the 2017 version of the Tigers won the state championship as I felt I should have been. I didn’t know why at first, but then as some time passed, I started to really reflect my thought process. As a man who has seen every single Southern Columbia football game since the start of the 1998 season, nearly 300 consecutive, I have seen the program from different perspectives. I have played the roles of fan, player, announcer, and writer over the past 20 years with the program. I came to the conclusion that I have had the privilege of being a small part of a program that has not just been successful, but rather unmatched. What has transpired in my lifetime with this Tiger Dynasty has been nothing short of miraculous. What this program has accomplished is something that no other program has been able to match. This coaching staff and annual group of players has become a traditional example of defying the odds. Who would have ever thought back when the Tigers were losing games on a consistent basis that in a couple of decades everything would change. The areas of Elysburg, Catawissa, and Numidia have now been the homes of champions that have come through the program dating all the way back to when the Ronald Reagan administration graced the halls of the White House.
I should have been beaming with joy for longer than I was on that Friday afternoon in Hershey, but my mind tricked me into thinking that this program did what they were expected to do rather than my mind telling me that this sustained success doesn’t take place anywhere else in the Keystone State. Learn from me, live more in the moment because the future is unknown. Although I’m starting to contradict that thought even as I write this. This is because this football program, that reps the black and gold colors, continuously has the vision each and every year that the future is already written. Each August, the vision is a trip to Hershey, and the Tigers understand that it’s a long journey that has many obstacles along the way. The Tiger football culture is as confident as any sporting program in the country at any level. This program doesn’t settle for the sky being the limit. These coaches and gridiron boys realize that there are footprints on the moon. They have a vision that they will be in Hershey for the final weekend of the high school football season each year, and there isn’t anything that anyone else is going to do to take that dream away from them.
Hershey’s Chocolate Factory is going to soon need to start considering to name a candy bar after Southern Columbia. After all, the Tigers have been playing on high school football’s biggest stage right across the road from their Chocolate World for over half of the game’s existence. This was the 30th year of the PIAA having State Championship games, and somehow Jim Roth’s teams have found ways to make it to the main event for 16 of those years. “I think sometimes people used to take it for granted. We had that successful run of making it quite a few years in a row, and then I think people started to just assume it was a sure thing. After not being there after 2006 until 2011, people started to better appreciate how competitive and skilled teams were across the state. Obviously as a coaching staff you set Hershey as the overall goal each year, but it takes a full program effort to achieve it and it is extremely difficult,” said Southern Columbia head coach Jim Roth. Earlier this month when the Tigers dismantled Wilmington in the final, they were awarded with the school’s 8th State Championship golden trophy. No other school in Pennsylvania has more than six and Southern Columbia has been in the final more than double the amount of times as any other school. It has gotten to the point where fans may want to consider buying timeshares in Hershey for mid-December in the future. “I think as a staff when we present our scouting report each week, we always try to impress upon the players what each week’s opponent does well. We also find ways to help the players improve on what we did wrong in the previous game,” defensive coordinator Andy Mills said. “As a staff, we try to approach things week by week and make the players focus on that. We continue to talk to the kids about trying to block out all the noise from outside. Each coach focuses on their positions during the practices, and we try to make the players accountable and not become complacent.”
After winning the 2015 Class 2A State Championship, the 2016 Tigers seemed content with just getting to the final game again after losing the majority of their starters from the prior season. This year, they made it known from the beginning that they weren’t settling for anything less than gold. “It really hasn’t fully set in yet. Once I have time to really reflect after high school, I’m sure it will mean a lot more to me and everyone involved. There is no better way to close out your career than with a state championship. This team was full of guys that didn’t care about getting the headlines or accolades. It didn’t matter who scored the touchdown or made the tackle because each player knew their role on each play and tried executing as best as they could. That is what makes a champion, when you put the team in front of your individual self,” senior captain Anthony Scicchitano said. They didn’t just win another state championship, they did it in a way that even the haters couldn’t find a way to be negative about. Simply put, they left the field for 16 straight weeks with everyone in the stadium knowing that the opponent was inferior. Sure some games were closer than others, but there wasn’t a point in any game late in the fourth quarter, regardless of the score, that any SCA player actually thought that they were going to lose. “Our mentality was to go out and just play the game. The entire coaching staff would always have us fully prepared for the game each and every week. We had a real special bond as a team and we were able to lean on each other at different times in games. We had trust in one another on the field,” center Troy Donlan said. Here is a quick summary of their climb to the sweetest place on Earth…
SCHEDULE:
Week 1: Shamokin Area
With all due respect, the Indians proved to be nothing more than a light practice for the Tigers. SCA came out clicking on all cylinders with their starters scoring 42 first half points, including three passing touchdowns to Julian Fleming, on their wat to a 55-7 road victory in the opener.
Week 2: Bloomsburg
The Panthers couldn’t find a way to score on Southern Columbia’s stingy defense. Behind the help of a defense that limited Bloomsburg to less than a yard per play in the first half, the Tigers went on to win 49-0 on the road. Cal Haladay recorded a game-high 10 tackles in the win.
Week 3: Mount Carmel Area
The first game ever on SCA’s new turf provided entertainment. After shooting themselves in the foot with dropped passes early, the Tigers needed a late defensive touchdown thanks to a forced fumble by Max Tillett that was recovered in the end zone by Connor Fulmer. Elijah Hoffman added three field goals to help clinch a 29-7 win over the much improved Red Tornadoes.
Week 4: Hughesville
Jim Roth won his 400th career game as the Tigers shut out the Spartans in Mercy Rule fashion 57-0. He became the youngest coach to ever reach the milestone in Pennsylvania and just the third coach to ever reach the feat. Defensive Coordinator Andy Mills was also honored for being with Roth for all of the victories.
Week 5: Lewisburg
In a 56-21 road victory at Susquehanna University, sophomore Julian Fleming broke the school’s career receiving yardage record. Gaige Garcia scored four touchdowns in a game that he faced off against his uncle that coached the Green Dragons.
Week 6: Milton
SCA’s offense was unstoppable as the team totaled nearly 600 yards of offense. They nearly broke a school record for points in a game during the 75-28 victory. The point total was the third highest in school history. Stone Hollenbach threw a pair of TD passes during the onslaught.
Week 7: Montoursville
The Tigers defense held the Warriors to 1.3 yards per carry in a 42-7 Mercy Rule victory. Behind the dominant effort from the offensive line, Garcia and Fleming each reached the end zone on three different occasions.
Week 8: Danville
A game to decide the PHAC Division III Champion, and it was the Tigers winning convincingly 41-10 over the Ironmen to clinch the division. Wide receiver Preston Zachman caught his first career touchdown pass during Southern’s final home regular season game.
Week 9: Central Columbia
There was some talk earlier in the week that the Blue Jays had a team strong enough to compete with the Tigers. SCA put that to rest by shutting out Central 42-0 giving the Tigers their 60th straight regular season win dating back to 2011. Julian Fleming caught six passes for 111 yards.
Week 10: Selinsgrove
The Tigers toughest opponent would come in the final game of the regular season. The Seals, who were state quarterfinalists in Class 4A, gave the Tigers fits through the air, but Southern’s run defense held Selinsgrove to negative 1-yard rushing. Cal Haladay highlighted the win with a late 97-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 49-28 regular season finale.
Week 11: North Penn-Mansfield
The Panthers weren’t strong enough up front to compete with SoCo’s line play as the Tigers won 63-26. Anthony Scicchitano became the only Tiger all season to score an offensive and defensive touchdown in the same game as he caught one and returned another via an interception.
Week 12: Central Columbia
In a rematch from the month prior, the results were the same. SCA won in Mercy Rule fashion by a score of 59-14. Gaige Garcia, Stone Hollenbach, Jeffrey Cox, Tristan Heim, and Ty Roadarmel all scored on the ground in the District IV AA Semi-Final victory.
Week 13: Mount Carmel Area
The Tigers won their 25th district crown in the last 27 years by beating their rival 49-14. The Red Tornadoes couldn’t muster together much offense and Garcia posted 307 yards of total offense and four scores in the first ever postseason matchup between the two schools.
Week 14: Neumann-Goretti
Andy Mills’ defense posted a first half shutout in the Tigers 45-12 triumphant victory against the talented Saints. SCA held a pair of Division 1 bound running backs to less than 25 yards rushing each. Neumann-Goretti’s highly recruited roster had guys with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, LSU, and West Virginia. With a Tigers defense not phased, the Saints had a net of negative 29 yards rushing in the state quarterfinal battle.
Week 15: Dunmore
Against a Bucks defense that only gave up 91 points all season, the Tigers offense could have potentially reached that amount in the game alone. Pulling the starters for the second half of the Class 2A Eastern Final, the Tigers cruised to a 56-19 win. Penn State head coach James Franklin was in attendance to see his top recruit in Julian Fleming and the sophomore had over 100 yards receiving with fellow sophomore star Gaige Garcia needing just 11 carries for 234 yards and four scores behind the line play.
Week 16: Wilmington
SoCo won the state gold by beating the best team that the west had to offer. The Tigers shut out the Greyhounds 48-0 to win the state championship. Stone Hollenbach threw for three first half touchdowns and the defense put a stamp on their record breaking season. Max Tillett led the defense with 14 tackles and entire defense held the Greyhounds to less than 100 yards of total offense. The margin of victory was the third largest in state championship game history. It was school’s second state title in Class 2A after winning their first six in Class A.
Statistical Leaders:
Obviously in order to win a state championship, it takes a TEAM effort from the starters down through the junior varsity subs as well as the weekly preparation from the coaching staff. However, with the amount of success that the Tigers had this season, some of the statistical numbers are worth sharing. “We tried to outhustle and outwork every team that we played. If one person wasn’t doing their job or giving their best effort, they were going to hear about it from either a coach or a teammate. We weren’t settling for anything less than the gold this year, and I think everyone on the team would agree with that,” said senior captain Connor Fulmer. Here are the top five in some well-known categories (passing & kicking only has one main person or else your team is in a difficult situation):
Rushing Yards:
Gaige Garcia (2,292); Jeffrey Cox (664); Tristan Heim (467); Ty Roadarmel (374); Nate Crowl (339)
Rushing Touchdowns:
Gaige Garcia (37); Tristan Heim (8); Jeffrey Cox (7); Stone Hollenbach (7); Three Others (4)
Receiving Yards:
Julian Fleming (1,462); Gaige Garcia (446); Preston Zachman (348); Anthony Scicchitano (70); Tristan Heim (55)
Receptions:
Julian Fleming (69); Gaige Garcia (31); Preston Zachman (22); Anthony Scicchitano (5); Tristan Heim (5)
Tackles:
Cal Haladay (109); Max Tillett (106); Anthony Scicchitano (63); Tyler Bendas (61); Brett Szuler (60)
Sacks:
Tyler Bendas (8); Cal Haladay (8); Max Tillett (7.5); Preston Zachman (7); Lear Quinton (4.5)
Interceptions:
Julian Fleming (4); Cal Haladay (3); Blake Day (2); Cade Linn (2); Four Others (1)
By the Numbers (obviously need to have 8):
815 – The number of points that SCA scored this season which broke the old school mark by 60 points. The Tigers averaged nearly 51 points per game. The total amount was the third most points ever scored by a team in Pennsylvania high school football history.
412 – The number of wins that head coach Jim Roth now has with Southern Columbia. He is one of just three coaches to reach the 400-win plateau in Pennsylvania and he was the quickest to get there. In over three decades of coaching the Tigers, he has never had a losing season.
194 – The number of points that Southern Columbia scored in their four championship games this season. Those opponents were Danville (Conference), Mount Carmel (District), Dunmore (Eastern), and Wilmington (State).
61 – The number of consecutive regular season games that the Tigers have won. The current streak started with a road victory at Selinsgrove in the final game of the 2011 regular season. SCA could break the state record in less than two seasons if the successful run continues.
58 – The number of rushing yards that SoCo’s defense allowed per game this season. That broke the old record by nine yards per game (2003 team allowed just 67.1 yards). Obviously the starters deserve the bulk of the credit, but give the reserves a tip of the cap as well.
13 – The number of games that the Tigers won via the Mercy Rule. Yes, over 80% of Southern Columbia’s games this year had the Tigers leading by at least 35 points at one point or another in the second half of each game.
8 – The number of State Championships that Southern Columbia has won. Berwick has the second most in the state with six, but the Bulldogs haven’t played in the final since 1997. As for public schools, this record could stand for a long, long time.
3 – The number of teams that scored any points on the historic Tiger defense in the first half during the regular season. It’s a rewarding feeling to go into halftime 70% of the time seeing a goose egg on the opposing team’s side of the scoreboard and the parking lot emptying.
THE TIGERS:
Gauging the Record Books:
When Henry Hynoski exited the state championship game for the final time back in 2006, nobody thought that the four-time state champion would ever leave the top of the Tigers rushing record list. The retired Super Bowl champion fullback with the New York Giants, finished his high school career with 7,165 yards rushing. Gaige Garcia is on pace to potentially do the unthinkable. The sophomore will enter his junior season with 4,230 rushing yards which is already good enough for fourth on SoCo’s all-time list. Known as “The Goliath”, he will need to average 1,468 yards over his final two seasons as a Tiger to take over the top spot. Given the fact that he rushed for 1,938 yards as a freshman and 2,292 yards this season, barring any injury, we may have a new rushing leader at a school with Pennsylvania’s most historic rushing numbers of all-time by 2019. “The numbers that I have put up have shown how great the teams are that I have been on. The coaches are a huge part in the success. Being able to run the ball for Coach Roth and Southern is an honor in itself. Now that I have a chance at breaking the school record, it’s a pretty amazing feeling,” Garcia said. “Having my name next to some of the greatest running backs is an honor, but the records don’t compare to winning a state championship. That is the ultimate accomplishment.”
Hidden Jewel:
It’s scary to think that Julian Fleming wasn’t even sure that he wanted to focus on football entering high school. As a phenomenal basketball player, he focused his attention on the hardwood more than the gridiron during the spring and summer entering his first year. “I don’t really remember exactly, but basketball was always my favorite sport. My freshman year I thought about focusing on it more until Michigan offered me. I have just been living a dream since, and the biggest thing is that I have really focused on improving myself as both a player and as a person,” Fleming said. After finally deciding to focus his attention to continue his football career, it didn’t take long for him to take over games in his rookie season. The sophomore has already shattered every possible school receiving record. The highly touted recruit has totaled 105 receptions for 2,418 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career thus far. One of the most respected national recruiting services has Fleming rated as the top receiver in the country for the class of 2020. He has already received many offers from top-tier schools across the country and the offers continue to pile up. “We have never had a player in this program get this type of national attention. There have been some great players to come through the system that have gotten Division 1 scholarship offers, but what Julian does on the field is just incredible. He is about as talented as you can be at his age and he has done an outstanding job of staying focused through it all,” said Roth.
Stone Cold:
Often overlooked because of how dominant Garcia and Fleming have been, the quarterback has done his job and then some. Stone Hollenbach has broken every single-season passing record and heading into his senior season should have all of the career records when it is all said and done. “You know it is really awesome when you think about it. Not just winning the state championship, but just to be able to wear a Tigers uniform knowing how rich the program’s history is. It is full of lots of success and all kinds of championships. As for the records, football is a team game. Without the blocking of my line and the skill players doing most of the work, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to win championships,” Hollenbach said. After breaking the single-season passing yardage and touchdown marks last season, he finished off the record book by breaking Brad Fegley’s record for completions in a season that was set in 2011. Nick Becker currently holds the career records, but Hollenbach needs just one passing touchdown, 31 completions, and 201 yards to take over each of the career marks. This year he was 140 for 219 with 2,510 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to five interceptions. In two years as the Tigers signal-caller, he has a total of 4,666 yards passing on 250 completions. He also has taken care of the football for the most part by totaling 54 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions.
Kicking Away History:
If you are chosen to be the kicker for Southern Columbia, you have to make sure to have plenty of ice in your freezer come Saturday mornings with the workload of extra points, potential field goals, and kickoffs that need to be done. “Let’s just say that our refrigerator had to work overtime this season for me to keep icing down. The best part was seeing all of our hard work pay off to win the state championship after losing it last year,” kicker Elijah Hoffman said. Hoffman was the leading goal scorer on the Tigers soccer team, but he was even more valuable to the school on Friday evenings. The senior annihilated not just the school record, but rather the state record, for the most points in a season by a kicker. His valuable right foot totaled 143 points over the course of the season. He was nearly perfect by converting on 104 of 106 extra points and also nailed 13 of 15 field goal attempts. He leaves the Tigers program with the second most career PAT’s going 194 for 202 and as the all-time leader in field goals where he converted on 15 of 17 attempts in his two-year stint.
The Other Guys:
Sometimes there just isn’t enough time or room to always give the other guys the recognition that they deserve. With the highlight reel displays that some of the well-known Tigers have put up, it is often forgotten of the little things that other guys do in order to contribute to a successful season. A pair of Southern Columbia running backs definitely didn’t lack recognition because of a lack of production. The backfield combination of halfback Tristan Heim and fullback Jeffrey Cox both did what they were asked to do knowing that Garcia was the vocal point. No the two senior backs didn’t post any 200-yard rushing performances, make highlight reel catches, or receive any awards, but what they did more importantly was help bring home state gold. “We knew that Gaige was the main guy that teams were keying on each week. The rest of just tried to do our best when we had our number called. I know my mentality was to run as hard as I could every time that I got the ball. Most of the time I was called on as a blocker, so I needed to do my job. I just wanted to go all-out because I knew this was the last year that I would be playing football,” said Cox. The senior duo of Cox and Heim combined to rush for 1,131 yards and 15 scores. In addition, when called upon, sophomores Ty Roadarmel and Nate Crowl also provided a lift as reserves that were able to fill in at times when they were needed. “Jeff and I did what we were supposed to do, when we were supposed to do it. We had a job to do and that’s what we did. It didn’t matter if it was blocking, catching, or running. Ty and Nate did the same, and they did a good job when it was their chance too. They will both be successful through the rest of their careers,” Heim said.
Up-Above The Rest:
No matter the level of football, the success all starts up-front. If you don’t have an intelligent, disciplined, strong, and physical offensive line, success most likely won’t be coming your way. “We never settled for anything and always expected more out of ourselves. Being physical is key on every snap, and when you’re more physical than the guy across from you it will give you the advantage,” said lineman Oak Six. The Tigers made it a point to use their taught techniques to get the job done. Southern Columbia scored a monstrous total of 815 points during the 2017 campaign. That total broke the old record of 755 points which was set by the 2006 state champion Tigers. The offensive beef consisted of Six and Connor Fulmer at the tackles, Andrew Bell and John Stabinski at the guards, Troy Donlan at center, and Anthony Scicchitano and AJ Goodlunas were the tight ends. “It is extremely important that the line communicates and works together. That helps make sure that everyone is blocked properly so that the play is a success,” said Stabinski. The line helped to pave the way for a total of 4,690 yards rushing. Combine that with the passing success, and the offensive production came to 7,200 total yards on the season. The player that was the most thankful for being on the field was Goodlunas. He missed both his sophomore and junior seasons with separate ACL tears. “It was hard on me at times. At one point in my recovery stage last year I really didn’t even want to come out this year. Thankfully I have some good friends that helped me through the process, and they helped me see the bright side of it all. My mentality this season was to go out there and just give it my all on the field,” said Goodlunas.
Fierce Front Four:
If there was one knock on last year’s defensive line, it was the fact that they didn’t always get pressure on the other team’s quarterback. This season, the front four made it a point of emphasis to make sure to change that. “We used last year as motivation for this season. Not just the defensive line, but I think everyone was determined and worked extra hard to reach our goal of getting to the quarterback. When the other team’s quarterback looked scared, it gave our defense even more momentum. The defense played with confidence all season, and it was a lot of fun trying to make plays,” said senior Tyler Bendas. With the success of the offensive line, the defensive line play appeared to be even better. The duo of Bendas and Lear Quinton at the defensive ends, and the interior play of Andrew Bell and Cavern Gosciminski at the tackles, provided opposing quarterbacks and runners wretchedness all season long. “Our mentality on the defensive line this year was to create chaos against our opponent. We wanted to do it on the offense’s blocking and passing schemes to make them one dimensional,” Gosciminski said. The defensive front was a main reason for the Tigers being able to tally 52 sacks and 49 hurries on the season. They also helped to take pressure off of an inexperienced secondary with new starters filling in. “When the defensive backs were doing their job of covering the receivers, that gave us more time to get to quarterbacks. When the defensive line didn’t get pressure, the linebackers came through on blitzes to put pressure on the other team. The success came from a combination of our speed and strength,” said Quinton.
Backing It Up:
The line-backing quadruplets of Cal Haladay, Anthony Scicchitano, Max Tillett, and Preston Zachman were the heart and soul of the record breaking defense at their linebacker positions. The defense gave up only 58.1 rushing yards per game for the season, breaking the old mark of 67.1 set by another state championship team more than a decade ago. Haladay and Scicchitano were the two leading tacklers returning from last year’s state runner-up squad and they combined to anchor the inside of the defense. “All four of us linebackers got to the ball really quick. We watched a lot of film and that helped in reading where we thought the play was going. We were all confident and knew that we could stop the other team on each play. I felt the four of us worked together really well, and we built off of each other’s success and knew our roles,” Haladay said. His 260 career tackles are already good enough for sixth all-time, and he needs just 61 more over the course of the next two seasons to break the school record. The outside linebackers were the sophomore tandem of Tillett and Zachman. “We had great leadership all around from the senior class. They all tried to get the best out of each of us, and I think that they got it. We came out motivated and pumped up each game to get the job done and that helped a lot in reaching our goal. We made sure to wrap up on our tackles to bring down the players and not allow them to break free and we were physical,” Tillett said. In 2017, Haladay and Tillett became the seventh pair of SCA teammates to have over 100 tackles in the same season. In total, these four steadfast hitters combined for 336 tackles, 26 sacks, five interceptions, and plenty of forced holding calls on the opposing offensive lines that they faced. “I think for this defense we took a big step forward in the mental part of the game this year. Obviously the improved play of our linebackers was a key. It also helped that we were able to make teams a bit more predictable by putting them in down and distance situations that favored us,” said Mills.
Second Chance for Secondary:
Brett Szuler decided to give football a second chance. The senior cornerback decided to give up football to focus on other sports after junior high. Thankfully, he made the decision to put on the pads for his final high school year. “That was the best decision that I have ever made. If I didn’t decide to come out, I would be regretting it forever. It took some time to get back in the rhythm since I hadn’t played football in a while. As the season continued, I felt more confident in not just my abilities, but in the entire secondary,” said Szuler. The undersized cover guy was fifth on the team in tackles, and he also led the team with nine pass breakups. Another Tiger senior that was provided a second chance was safety Blake Day. As a junior, his season ended as quickly as it began. “After getting injured in the first game last year, I knew coming in this year that I couldn’t take anything for granted. I tried to play every play like it was my last because nothing is certain in life. We had a stretch in the regular season where we struggled in pass coverage for a few games, but I think that helped us in the end. It got us more focused and determined to prove ourselves in the playoffs,” Day said. Early in last season’s opening game, Day tore his ACL causing him to miss the rest of the season. Through a strenuous rehab, he worked his way back into the starting lineup to compile a stat line that included 32 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. Another SCA safety, who played when the Tigers had two safety defensive formations, was Cade Linn. Like his teammate Day, the sophomore missed all of last season with an injury, but he bounced back to have 40 tackles and two interceptions this season as a sophomore.
Working Overtime:
One consistency in the Southern Columbia football program, year in and year out, is the ability for the coaching staff to establish lineups that keep players fresh and free of injury throughout the regular season. To accomplish this, not too often are players counted on to be two-way starters. However, four Tigers this season were given the opportunity to start on both sides of the ball, and they all proved that they belonged. Anthony Scicchitano (linebacker/tight end), Julian Fleming (wide receiver/cornerback), Andrew Bell (offensive/defensive line), and Preston Zachman (linebacker/wide receiver) were the four men responsible for being on the field as two-way starters and they all made an impact on both sides of the ball. “We try to keep our guys fresh so that they are as healthy as possible for the playoffs. It is also nice to not have many guys going both ways because that means that there are more guys stepping up to prove that they belong on the field. Each year though we have at least a couple of guys that are on the field on both offense and defense. This year those guys had strong seasons on both sides of the ball for us,” said Roth. The players that go both ways like it because they are able to make an impact in different phases of the game. It is also a way to make up for mistakes on either side of the ball or to just be able to play as much as possible. “It was great to get the opportunity to help the team on both offense and defense. If we made a mistake on one side of the ball, we were able to go right back out there and try to make up for it on the other side of the ball. Everyone on this team wanted to do their part to help win,” Zachman said.
Seniors Surpass Success:
With the rich history of the Tiger Dynasty, this senior class ranks up there with any when it comes to winning football games. In fact, this class has the best winning percentage of any class in the history of the program and that includes the incredible four-year span from 2003-2006 when Henry Hynoski and Josh Marks were mainstays during a run that included a record of 58-3 over their four consecutive state championship winning seasons. This year’s senior class, which has spanned for a three-year career, has compiled a record of 47-1 which ranks as the highest winning percentage ever at nearly 98%. “I can’t say enough about these guys. We set out on a mission and we completed it with perfection this year. Going back and seeing that this senior class only had one loss in our careers is really remarkable. You look at how many great teams have come through this program and that makes it even more meaningful. It would have been nice to win another title last year, but you can’t always get what you want. However, this year we got exactly what we wanted to close out our careers,” said senior captain Andrew Bell. The only loss that this senior class was ever a part of was in last season’s state final. The awards that they have conquered as a team include two state championships, three eastern championships, three district championships, and three conference championships. Coach Roth was able to sum up nicely what the legacy of this senior class will be. “I couldn’t be happier for these seniors. We had strong leadership starting with our five captains in Bell, Schiccitano, Fulmer, Bendas, and Cox. We had other seniors step up at different times in leadership roles as well. To win a state championship, all the pieces need to fit and sometimes it takes some adjusting,” Roth said. “This senior group found a way to get the job done as leaders and that is something that they can forever be thanked for doing. They played at a high-level for the entire season, and they get to leave the program on top with a state championship.”
As you enjoy the remainder of the holiday season with family and friends, whether you are Southern Columbia’s biggest fan or biggest critic, take a second to reflect on what has been accomplished. A program that got a late start compared to others around the state in the 1960’s, that struggled mightily to win games in the 1970’s, has now become the modeled success story across the state. Think about this next stat. Over the past 30 years, the Tigers have won at least one championship in 29 of those years. If you total the championships up, Southern Columbia has won on average more than two championships each season. That’s a stat that sounds faker than Santa Claus, but it’s realer than gold, and gold is exactly what this football program sets out for each season. If you are looking for a New Year’s resolution that can make your 2018 go better than your 2017, make it one full of positivity. With that being said, I am positive that this football program has golden plans for years to come. I am also positive that those plans will go more smoothly than a Griswold family Christmas, and if you look at the past 30 years, I think everyone has that same thought. It is just up to you if you are willing to admit it or not. Happy New Year!
