Lounging comfortably in an office within the locker room sits senior safety J.B. Andreassi and quarterback James Brady, chatting lazily with a couple of coaches. Big grins slide across their faces as we shake hands before they both slink back into their seats.
The locker room smells, well, exactly like you would expect it to after an unseasonably warm October practice. Kids stand around, joking in groups and goofing off — everyone's having fun.
Almost everyone. Andreassi is more nervous about this interview than the upcoming game against Xaverian. He eyes the ground quickly and paws at his pockets before each answer and is obviously on edge. For all his accomplishments on the field, he remains modest — almost to a fault.
Asked about his achievements (such as his eight tackles in last week's 17-0 win over Chaminade), he casually responds with praise for his teammates, coaches and friends. As if they're the ones responsible for his noteworthy play. Nary a word was spoke about his 50 tackles, two interceptions and yeoman work as the team's primary kickoff and punt return man.
When pressed for any sort commentary on his play, he responded with his team as a whole in mind. "You'll see each week main guys are hurt,'' Andreassi said. "We know we're hurt, but we have to play through it. Mentally and physically our toughness is our biggest strength."
Despite Andreassi's modesty, when asked about his coach, Rich Reichert, he had heaps to say. "I love coach Reichert, he's a player's coach. I love playing for him. He's just a great guy, he knows what he's doing and he teaches us how to be tough and that's all you can ask for in a coach."
Reichert has had unusual success with the Friars football team, guiding them to six straight CHSFL titles. And Andreassi should know plenty about Reichert, who works one-on-one with the defensive backs. The work has paid off. The Friars have recorded two consecutive shutouts and have allowed just 20 points over their last four contests.
St. Anthony's was founded on a simple principle: "Capture the heart, and the mind will follow." Andreassi typifies this simple phrase. He heads to Dartmouth to study economics or history next fall with his best friend, center Austin Fletcher in tow, undaunted by the highly competitive nature of the Ivy League school.
Right now, he's focused on winning — and getting through this interview..
"You have to be prepared for every game," he said. "They all scare me."
There's no hiding the truth: St. Anthony's has been dominating this season. The Friars head into the playoff as the No. 1 seed with a 7-1 record. They suffered their lone loss in a mud-drenched, hard-nosed football game against Mount Saint Michael in which the St. Anthony's defense shut out the Mount offense over the final three quarters. Early miscues cost them some points and, ultimately, the game.
"It has to go back to Mount," Andreassi said. "We all kind of rallied and we knew had to deal with something prior teams hadn't dealt with — a loss like that. And we knew we had to get back in it. We came together and we've been playing well ever since."
St. Anthony's senior safety J.B. Andreassi returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Holy Trinity.
