Just like Seabiscuit, he would choose speed over size. Just like Seabiscuit, he beat the rival and the odds. Just like Seabiscuit, Mitchell Seabury led his team to a victory.
Mitchell “Seabiscuit” Seabury gave the Fayetteville-Manlius community a reason to celebrate when he galloped for 317 yards and five touchdowns to guide his football team over an undefeated Christian Brothers Academy team, 49-35, the first F-M win over CBA since the 2006 playoffs.
Injuries haunted both teams leading up to the matchup. CBA’s star running back, Stevie Scott, was a definite scratch early in the week with the foot injury that he suffered against Elmira on Sept. 16. For F-M, reps were limited for Mikey Porter and Tim Shaw, who both ended up playing and were both big parts of the win.
To celebrate, F-M’s student section stormed the field and then led their team up Pride Hill, where they congratulated their team and sang the Alma Mater.
Throughout the game, the student section led the crowd, even when the Brothers looked like they were gaining the momentum. The Hornets’ loyal community over filled the bleachers and helped their team believe in themselves.
The speedy junior reacted to the win and his performance as the final buzzer sounded. “I have never been with a team with more heart and dedication than this one” Seabiscut said to Phil Blackwell of Eagle News, “we give 150 percent every single time.”
Seabiscut also received high praise from his head coach, Paul Muench. “Mitchell works so well within the scheme with his linemen, Zack (Page), and Mikey (Porter) that he gets himself into a good situation. He plays hard, practices hard and has a motor that won’t quit,” Muench said.
F-M’s offensive line had a lot to do with Seabiscut’s success. Andrew Testani and Drew Guillaume teamed up with Joey Anderson and John-Luke Buonfiglio to create holes for the race horse.
Charlie Gadesden, Austin Schefter, and Preston Koester added to the efforts of the line throughout the game.
The whole Hornet team has a motor that doesn’t give out and they proved it at the beginning of the second half, when things got tough.
But it was the end of the first half that had the home crowd biting its nails.
Seabiscut cashed in a touchdown and gave the Hornets a 35-28 lead with 17 seconds left in the half, but the Brothers tied it up after they moved down the field quickly and the clock stopped with nine ticks remaining because the officials thought CBA had a first down, but they didn’t. The following play, CBA scored to tie the game as the half expired.
That was it for CBA, tough. After a frustrating first half and a second quarter that featured 57 total points, the Hornets spent the second half slowing the game down. In that 24 minutes, Seabiscut barely stepped off the field, as it was crunch time and the Hornets needed him on both sides of the ball. He also had two touchdowns in the third quarter.
One of the third quarter touchdowns was set up by a 23-yard catch Page made on third-and-long as he was falling out of bounds and solidified a drive that started deep in their own territory.
With the win, F-M inches closer to a playoff berth and extends its win streak to three. The team travels to Indian River on Thursday and CBA hosts Central Square Friday night.
I loved this article. After reading it…. I felt like I was there. You have some major writing talent! I do it for a living, and can spot great writers a mile a way, and you hit all elements at a high-level. Never could come anywhere close to writing like that in HS…. so you are way ahead of the curve young man! Keep working at your craft… sky is the limit. If you like ESPN news … that would be a good place to look for an internship. They need great writers… and this is a top notch example. Best of luck to you!