From the outside looking in, you would think Anthony and Tony Sacca have an interesting dilemma on their hands with the Orange Bowl on Thursday night between college football blue bloods Notre Dame (13-1) and Penn State (13-2).
Anthony, St. Joseph Prep’s sterling senior linebacker and the best player on the best defense in the state, is committed to Notre Dame. His dad, Tony, was the four-year starting quarterback at Penn State from 1988-1991 and Delran High School (N.J.) legend. It was Tony who upset the No. 1-ranked Fighting Irish in 1990, spoiling Notre Dame’s chances at a national championship by bringing Penn State back from a 21-7 deficit with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Nittany Lions’ tight end Al Golden, now Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator who recruited Anthony to Notre Dame.
Anthony, who is 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, has watched all his father’s games on DVD. The funny thing is, both father and son agree, the father, who was very good, would have had big problems facing his linebacker son, who is excellent, in his golden dome helmet back in the mountainous shoulder pads, half-jersey days when Penn State and Notre Dame played annually.
You would think a problem is about to develop when they sit together Thursday night.
“Nope,” says Anthony, … “My father has joined the ‘dark side,’ he’s a golden domer (laughs). I grew up with two things in my house: Delran football, and Penn State football. My grandparents were dead set on my father going to Notre Dame. It was between Notre Dame, Penn State and Miami. He chose Penn State. It’s a great school. Penn State was on my list. We’ll watch the game together. We are football fans. This game adds more to it. My dad went to Penn State. He starred there. I’m going to Notre Dame. They were great games. He was a great hunk back there (laughs). I will obviously pull for Notre Dame. My mother (Michelle Otto) is on my side.
“My dad is, too. I know he still bleeds blue-and-white. That will be different starting Thursday night, when Notre Dame plays Penn State. He’ll always be a Penn State fan, except when they play Notre Dame. Above everything, I hope it is a really good game.”
Then Anthony, who is in San Antonio, Texas, as the only Philadelphia-area representative preparing for the Navy All-American Bowl on NBC on Saturday, went into a break down as to why Notre Dame will win. He’s a high school senior who you tend to lean forward and listen to no matter how old you are anytime Anthony Sacca talks football. He’s been writing and designing plays since he was in kindergarten. His acumen of the game far belies his age. As a four-year starter at St. Joe’s Prep, Anthony has evolved from a safety his first two years to linebacker his junior and senior years because he outgrew the position. He’s still growing. In that span, he had to comprehend the whole field and where everyone was supposed to be, as someone who positioned the defense—a Hawks’ defense that beat Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 35-6, for a third-straight PIAA Class 6A state championship in holding a team that was averaging 40.5 points a game down to six.
“Coach Marcus Freeman prepares his team better for big games,” Anthony said. “I think the entire culture and belief this time of year is the most important thing on your team. We had it at Prep. No one was going to beat us. Notre Dame has a team that has bought in. Notre Dame will figure out a way to limit Tyler Warren. He’s a great player. You can’t stop him. You have to contain him. Notre Dame will sit in a Cover One the whole game. They will sit in a one high safety and I know what they run, then figure who covers the running back.
“The key for Penn State will be running the football, and I don’t think they can run the ball against Notre Dame. What needs to happen is they will need (quarterback) Drew Allar and (offensive coordinator) Andy Kotelnicki to have huge games. They are capable of doing that. I’m really excited about this game. I would like to see a low-scoring, defensive game.”
Anthony admits many he is close to were not happy that he chose Notre Dame. He comes from a Penn State world. His father Tony played at Penn State, and his Uncle John, Tony’s younger brother, also played for a brief time at Penn State. Tony, John and Ralph (who played at Rutgers) all starred at Delran. “You walk into Delran and you get hit with the Sacca name right in your face,” Anthony jokes. “My family is happy that I am going to Notre Dame. Oh, I want Notre Dame to win big time. I would like to rub this in all my friend’s faces. They have been texting me constantly. It’s all fun, and it’s all great, but I’m getting funny things that if Penn State wins, I have to transfer to Penn State. I heard from Penn State people when I chose Notre Dame. Not many Penn State legacies go to different schools like Notre Dame. They weren’t too happy (laughs).”
Tony fondly remembers his time at Penn State. It led to him going in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft to the Arizona Cardinals and successful career as a teacher at Delran. He laughs at the twists of life, where now his phenomenally successful son will be playing for a rival, recruited by the guy who he once threw touchdown passes to, the same guy currently devising ways to beat the very college they both once played for.
“It is ironic how this has come full circle,” Tony said. “Anthony and I didn’t make much of the Penn State-Notre Dame thing, until Anthony brought it up to me that Notre Dame could play Penn State, if both teams reached the national semifinals. I still have Penn State ties. I still love the school. I’ll be honest, the text thread that I am on with all the Penn State guys I went to school with has been very quiet this week. They have all been very quiet until they start razzing me (laughs). I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, I am a Notre Dame fan. Growing up, nobody liked Notre Dame. None of my Delran friends liked Notre Dame. My parents loved Notre Dame.
“My family actually wanted me to go to Notre Dame. My parents were pushing hard for me to go to Notre Dame. I said I wanted to go to Penn State. My father wanted me to go to Notre Dame. He was really happy when Anthony committed to Notre Dame. First and foremost, I want to see a good football game. A couple of these playoff games have not been entertaining whatsoever. We’ll be watching the game together. You can say I have blood involved.”
Tony is building his Notre Dame swag. He has a Notre Dame visor and an Irish cap. He’s working on the Notre Dame sweatshirt. Everyone else in the family was decked out in their Notre Dame gear over the holidays. Tony beat Notre Dame his junior and senior years, 34-21, in 1990, and again in 1991, 35-13, in South Bend.
“We’ll have a lot of fun this Thursday night,” Tony said. “There is no family civil war going on (laughs). We want to see a great game like everyone does.”
Notre Dame-Penn State Series tied 9-9-1
Nov. 7, 1913 Notre Dame 14, Penn State 7, State College
Nov. 7, 1925 Notre Dame 0, Penn State 0, State College
Oct. 16, 1926 Notre Dame 28, Penn State 0, South Bend
Nov. 3, 1928 Notre Dame 9, Penn State 0, Philadelphia
Dec. 27,1976 Notre Dame 20, Penn State 0, Jacksonville, FL Gator Bowl
Nov. 21, 1981 Penn State 24, Notre Dame 21, State College
Nov. 13, 1982 Penn State 24, Notre Dame 14, South Bend
Nov. 12, 1983 Penn State 34, Notre Dame 30, State College
Nov. 17, 1984 Notre Dame 44, Penn State 7, South Bend
Nov. 16, 1985 Penn State 36, Notre Dame 6, State College
Nov. 15, 1986 Penn State 24, Notre Dame 19, South Bend
Nov. 21, 1987 Penn State 21, Notre Dame 20, State College
Nov. 19, 1988 Notre Dame 21, Penn State 3, South Bend
Nov. 18, 1989 Notre Dame 34, Penn State 23, State College
Nov. 17, 1990 Penn State 24, Notre Dame 21, South Bend
Nov. 16, 1991 Penn State 35, Notre Dame 13, State College
Nov. 14, 1992 Notre Dame 17, Penn State 16, South Bend
Sept. 9, 2006 Notre Dame 41, Penn State 17, South Bend
Sept. 8, 2007 Penn State 31, Notre Dame 10, State College
Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].
Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com]
