Tony Lotti’s perspective on Seckinger football’s historic start
TWENTY POINTS DOWN before halftime, Seckinger’s opponent, Archer, made an interesting decision.
The Tigers attempted a two-point conversion up three scores on their own turf. Archer didn’t convert, and the flood gates opened for the opposing team in turquoise.
On the following drive, Seckinger found paydirt after do-it-all star Jayden Clarke caught a fourth-down pass from quarterback Julian Lapene at midfield. Jaimen Williams caught a 20-yard pass later in the drive to give Seckinger its first score.
Seckinger scored 23 unanswered points in around nine minutes to change the tide. It carried a lead into halftime.
“That (the two-point attempt) gave us a spark,” Seckinger head coach Tony Lotti told the North Gwinnett Voice after relaying to his team last Friday night that it would catch a break, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post. “That fueled us.”
Seckinger beat Archer, an acclaimed Gwinnett County program with multiple region championships and a state title appearance in 2014, 34-27. The Jaguars, with a 3-14 record in program history entering the season (including a winless season under previous coach Aaron Hill), hold a 2-0 record in their second season under Lotti.
The previous wins since Seckinger’s inception came against Cross Keys, Heritage (Newnan) and Oglethorpe County. Lotti’s team started with an 0-5 record in his first season with the Seckinger program.
“This was a huge win for our program, mentally and personally,” Lotti said. “But let’s keep things in perspective. It’s a non-region win, and it’s good to help us get ready to compete in what is an unbelievably tough region.”
“We have to turn the page and start focusing on next week’s opponent.”
AN ACCLAIMED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL OUTLET releases a list of favorites in each game across the state of Georgia each Thursday for the upcoming slate. Lotti teaches his team to block out external noise and hopes they don’t see it.
It has fueled Lotti for over a decade in his head coaching career, however. It serves as his proving ground. The coach who has led two previous programs — West Hall and Apalachee — from nothing to playoff appearances, gobbles up the skepticism.
Last Thursday’s edition, about 36 hours before Seckinger kicked off at Archer, the list of games had the Jaguars as 39-point underdogs. Lotti saw similar doubts from outside sources before the season, too. Seckinger’s region — 7-5A — has Gainesville, Milton and Roswell leading the way. The Jaguars projected last in the region and had a 0% chance to earn a playoff bid.
“They don’t know my kids,” Lotti said.
Lotti hasn’t led Seckinger’s rise alone. He’s done it with his entire staff and all of the hires made under athletic director Kelli Poff. Lotti carries a great sense of gratitude for offensive coordinator David Seawright and defensive play-caller Scott Rider. Their efforts, along with that of their staffs, played a tremendous role in the team’s win over Archer, Lotti indicated.
Beyond the coach’s game plans, Lotti knows their influence on Seckinger’s program reaches deeper levels. The entire staff leads team-wide conversations with an emphasis on lessons that might reach the Jaguars a decade down the line and sharing their hearts. The ultimate goal is for Seckinger’s program to become player-led and it’s getting closer to reaching that point with each passing week.
“I want them to always reach for our full potential and then some,” Lotti said. “They’re learning to listen to what me and the coaching staff are doing and nothing else.”
Lotti might not share what people say to his players. He doesn’t blame the media, but he also doesn’t use it as bulletin board material while other coaches and programs could. Nonetheless, he wants his Seckinger players to be overachievers.
Friday night, against Archer, it paid off.
“I love seeing our name in the upsets of the week,” Lotti said.
Seckinger found itself there Monday morning in a “Saye It Ain’t So” column by Georgia High School Football Daily’s Chip Saye — in the top spot.
SECKINGER TRAILED again nearly halfway through the fourth quarter. Archer’s Ken’Marico Husband hauled in a 50-yard touchdown after a Jaguar defender slipped.
The score sat at 32-27 when Lotti huddled his team for a simple message.
“We’re not losing this game,” he said.
Lotti has a kickoff return package that he has used to perfection for around a quarter-century dating back to his time as an assistant at Union Grove in 2000. Seckinger recently implemented it into its bag of tricks and ran it against Archer.
Clarke, a running back who plays a key role on special teams, took it to the house. Not only did it silence the home crowd, but an ensuing (strategic, in this case) two-point conversion gave Seckinger a 34-27 lead that it would hold after a defensive stand.
“It shows the resilience, fight and those type of things,” Lotti said. “It shows the things we’re trying to instill in them and the belief they have in each other.”
After the victory, Lotti impaired that his players and coaches should take time to enjoy a signature win. He also wants to put it into perspective, however, with eight games remaining and a home opener against Mountain View coming quickly into view (no pun intended).
For at least one night, Lotti’s teams silenced those who doubted yet again. Seckinger’s coach took a nine-plus hour rest into the following morning and readies to go again.
Seckinger has a mission in mind, and that’s staying on the left side of the record column. It made history, and more could be made with each passing week.
“Did you sign up to go 2-8? I didn’t,” Lotti said to his team.
“No sir,” they replied.
