by Dan Greenberg
Gazette.net
04-24-2008

Attention Seneca Valley. Are you ready for some fantasy football? A Thursday night party?

On May 1 at the Churchill South Community Center in Germantown, the Screaming Eagles' football team will be hosting a fundraiser, but more significantly, answering a question that can't really be answered: Who is Seneca Valley's greatest team?
Alumni from the 33 years of the program's history are expected to be in attendance for the event, put together by head coach and 1988 Seneca Valley grad Fred Kim. It will include a dinner, with food courtesy of Outback Steakhouse, for $25 per guest.

Of chief importance will be the answer to the all-important question, which will be decided by an undisclosed panel of judges. It had been posed on its football Web site, www.svhsfootball.com, asking browsers to answer the year that showcased the school's best squad. According to Kim, it originally was simply a fun subject to discuss. But the more the issue came up with former coaches and players, the more it picked up steam to find a ‘‘real” answer.

‘‘A bunch of guys voted on it, and of course everyone had their own opinion, so we just kind of went back and forth,” said Kim. ‘‘So we just kind of felt like, 'Jeez, wouldn't it be cool to decide something like this?' We kind of got the idea when March Madness came around. We figured we'd do a bracket with about eight teams, then use strength of schedule and things like that to decide.”

The event will be emceed by longtime Seneca Valley head coach Terry Changuris, who was either at the helm or an assistant on all 12 of the school's state championship-winning teams from 1976 through 2002. He'll be whittling down an eight-team bracket to a final two, and finally announcing a championship game ‘‘projected” quarter-by-quarter by the panel of judges, who will be comprised of Seneca Valley football alumni.

The Web site question nominated four teams:

o1977: Went 12-0 while giving up only six points the entire season.

o1987: Finished 13-0 while earning the school's first Class 4A state championship.

o1999: Third consecutive unbeaten team that featured former Baltimore Ravens strong safety Chris Kelley, who played quarterback for Seneca.

o2002: The school's last state-title winner, won every playoff game away from home.

As of April 23, the 1999 team was in the lead with a whopping 49 percent of the votes. Kim, a strong safety and running back on the 1987 Eagles, felt Changuris was the only judge unbiased to one particular former team, thus the one who will get the final say in the matter.

He also had a hard time getting in touch with some of the older Seneca Valley teams, which date back to 1975. But he hopes as many former players as possible, at least those over the age of 21, will be in attendance.

And hey, maybe a real football game will break out when the party's over.

‘‘Who knows what'll happen - maybe we'll play afterwards,” said Kim. ‘‘Hopefully it'll be a great time for everyone there. If not, hey, we eat some Outback, drink some beers, and talk some [expletive].”

Who is Seneca Valley's Greatest Team?

When: Thursday, May 1, 6 p.m.

Where: Churchill South Community Center

13602 Wanegarden Drive

Germantown

Cost: $25 for all alumni and those who have been associated with Seneca Valley football. (Must be 21 years or older.)