Sussex Academy opens title defense with 2-0 over Central
In Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan had a legendary performance while battling the flu. On Sept. 10 at Sussex Academy, captain Andres Romero-Nieto battled through a sickness of his own to net a brace and help secure a 2-0 victory over rival Sussex Central.
“I was kind of sick before the game, so I was trying to save my energy for going forward, doing sprints when the team needs me,” Romero-Nieto said. “I saw the chance and I took it.”
In the 14th minute of a tightly battled rematch of the 2023 Henlopen Conference Championship game, Romero-Nieto bursted forward to the end line, wrapping around a Sussex Central defender to secure the ball and open the scoring with a near-post five-hole goal.
“There's a reason that he was unanimously voted a captain as a sophomore, and he's been that since,” Seahawks coach R.J. Dina said. “He just does all the right things all the time, works his tail off, and he’s a role model no matter if it's on the field or in the classroom, you just can't speak enough about him.”
The ball came off the foot of junior Chae Ballinger, and the Knights’ defense was reserved to let it roll out, but Romero-Nieto never gave up on the play.
An already electric atmosphere was supercharged with the finish.
“They all know each other, and they're friends; they play at Sandhill [Fields] every weekend,” Dina said. “For us, the Central game is always so special, because these kids grow up playing with each other, they're excited to play, and it's become this just massive rivalry over the years; it means a lot to these guys.”
In the 27th minute, a similar situation played out as junior Liam Stegall stuck with a ball once thought to be headed out. As he dashed toward goal, Stegall centered the ball to a waiting Romero-Nieto who buried the ball to net a brace.
The Seahawks held on tight for the remaining 53 minutes to open their season with a 2-0.
“It inspires us for the next game because this was an important game to see what team developed in the better way from last year,” Romero-Nieto said. “Winning a really important game like this gets us focused for the rest of the season.”
The pressure might be on the Seahawks in 2024, but Dina is confident his lads can handle it.
“With the mindset they have, they kind of expect the crowds to be huge, the emotions to be high, for it to be intense, for there to be media everywhere, and we just prepare them in the way that we did for the run last year,” Dina said. “I've got the same core group that has felt the pressure, has dealt with the pressure of playing in these environments, and they know what to expect.”
