Seahawks hoping to soar to a Division II state title

The Sussex Academy Seahawks soccer program is optimistic about their chances to win some hardware in the 2023 season.

“I think coming into this year we have a young core that got a lot of minutes last year and valuable experience in their first year,” said RJ Dina, head coach. “Coming into this year we have high hopes to be the most dominant team in the Henlopen South.”

Dina said his team is very competitive. 

“The attitudes they’ve come in with, how much they prepared over summer, I mean they want to compete right now. They want the season to kick off tomorrow,” Dina said during an Aug. 23 pre-season practice.

The 2022 Seahawks finished 6-8-2 and earned a spot in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Division II state tournament for the fifth year in a row, falling to Delaware Military Academy in round one. Their 2-2 tie with Indian River was the first non-loss to the Indians the Seahawks ever secured.

“I feel like last year was pretty complicated. We worked hard in many of those games, but we also made mistakes that put us in a really bad situation most of those losses,” said Andres Romero-Nieto, junior forward.

Romero-Nieto believes the match-up against Caravel Academy, the reigning DIAA division II champion, during the scrimmage play day at Appoquinimink Aug. 22, gave them confidence and motivated them to continue working hard.

“I feel like we’re pretty organized, pressing and moving the ball as a team, but we need to work on finishing and rotations when the other team has the ball,” Romero-Nieto said.

Romero-Nieto called last year’s match-up against Indian River one of the best games his team has ever had.

“Some of the things we want to improve on always is athleticism and being able to compete with the guys they’ll see in the Henlopen South,” Dina said, “Being able to show up and be physical on 50/50 balls is important in the South.”

Dina believes the chemistry his team has is borne from their familiarity with one another.

“All these guys play on the same club team, in the same age group, and what makes them successful is they know each other and since they know each other,” Dina said. 

Commanding the backline for the Seahawks will be the 6’4” junior C.J. Norton, whose size and foot skills make him a perfect fit for the demands of the modern goalkeeper.

“No matter how we’re playing or who the guys are in front of him. He is a big piece for us and it’s his IQ and knowledge of the game that makes him a critical piece for us,” Dina said.

Norton believes 2023 will see the Seahawks fly up the rankings of Division II rankings and be in the title race.

“I’m expecting us to do really well this year because last year was the building blocks,” Norton said.

He says a lot of the communication falls on him and he makes sure to alert teammates of a defender challenging from behind or an opening the ball handler might not see. He’s also tasked with using his feet more.

“One of my coaches actually called me a sweeper keeper because I’m playing a sweeper defender while also playing goalkeeper,” Norton said. “I'm playing way past my 18 and playing with my feet constantly.”

The goalkeeper has circled the match-ups against Indian River and Cape Henlopen as the games he is looking forward to the most.

“I think we’re gonna surprise a lot of people this year because they kind of saw us as a weak team and we even got scheduled for a homecoming game,” Norton said. “This year, I think we’ll be really strong and hopefully we’ll win against I.R. this year, not tie.”

Dina, who helped build the program at Appoquinimink, believes his team has the edge to them that is seen in storied programs across the state.

“For this group, as young as they are, they have to realize that age doesn’t matter, that they have the technical ability, and an edge of competitiveness,” said Dina. “If they can showcase that game after game, keep that work rate, and that competitive edge throughout the season there’s no reason we can’t finish at the top when all is said and done.

The Seahawks open their season at home against Appoquinimink High School at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 7.