BUFORD — Long-time friends and colleagues Tony Lotti and Kelli Poff shared a valuable trait when building the Seckinger program from the studs.
A common dream and vision.
Lotti, throughout his head coaching career that started in 2012 at West Hall, follows his calling. He mainly coaches programs that need a rebuild, a quality he has possessed since his days as an assistant coach at Union Grove in 2000. Poff, first-time athletic director at Seckinger, moved from a softball coach to a leadership role and had her hands in everything related to the formation of a high school — including hiring teachers and staff in every department.
The pair of athletic minds met at Woodland (Stockbridge) High School as it came to life. Lotti served as an assistant coach and Poff ran the softball program to start her first job in the prep ranks.
Poff’s nephew also played football on Lotti’s team at Woodland.
“I knew (Lotti) as a human and the human is really important to me,” Poff said. “He’s a high-character guy who teaches the kids to be great people first, knows how to build a program and that really translates to the field. He gets them to have pride within themselves, teammates and school.
“It has been really cool to watch him and his staff build a program.”
Seckinger football — and all of its fall sports, for that matter — have begun seasons with significant success. Lotti’s program stands at 3-0 after beating Mountain View, 45-10. Seckinger softball, under Cameron Crawford, hunts a state championship after making a semifinal appearance a year ago. The volleyball team, led by Laura DeLaPerriere, continues region play with nine wins on the season.
Each of these coaches play a key role during Friday night football home games.
Keep in mind, Seckinger’s configuration of athletic programs didn’t start in a dedicated space. The Jaguars’ administration worked from nearby Harmony Elementary School as it tried to design not only a program, but a school. Poff led everything athletically, including purchasing football helmets, uniforms and equipment with a six-year loan.
“Everybody is chipping in,” Lotti said. “and they’re wonderful people.”
Seckinger’s inaugural football season went far from what it had planned. The Jaguars went winless. Former head coach Aaron Hill resigned. Seckinger and Poff had a chance to start from scratch.
The school received a slew of applications for the head coaching job. All the while Poff had a name in mind. Her “build it from the ground up” comrade, Lotti. He has made a playoff appearance at each of his two previous schools — West Hall and Apalachee — and won a region title with the Spartans in 2014.
Lotti’s faith led him to another calling and leave Apalachee in Winder and essentially grow another football program that had nothing.
Lotti and Poff, the two forces, joined together as one.
“All of our teams, in a way, have embraced that underdog role that we know we’re going to have,” Poff said. “It doesn’t matter what the uniform says on the other side, and we’re going to respect the game, each other and compete as hard as we can. Their start this year is a testament.”
Lotti reiterated his support for his so-called boss, too.
“She’s moved up and reached her dreams and goals,” Lotti said. “She cares a lot and puts a lot of time and effort into what she does. She realizes that we’ve got good people in here throughout the athletic staff, and we’re really helping each other.”
In 2024, their shared outlook has shown as an early reward. After the win after Mountain View, the Seckinger players soaked up the moment. Most of them let out a celebratory scream. A group of players mobbed together under the field-goal post for photos. Seckinger’s stadium had a larger-than-ever crowd and felt like a true Friday night football game from the first time.
After Lotti’s first year started with an 0-5 start and a 3-7 record, the Jaguars have made quite the progression. Seckinger stands a game away from entering region play undefeated.
None of it would be possible, however, if Poff didn’t make the decision to hire the coach she crossed paths with years ago.
“It’s surreal,” defensive back Grant Williams said. “I dreamed that we would take this program to be like this. This is so special.”
FEATURED PHOTO: Provided by Tony Lotti
