by Dan Greenberg
Gazette.net
05-07-2008

Longtime Seneca Valley football coach Terry Changuris paused for a suspenseful moment before making his verdict. The issue? Who was the greatest Seneca Valley football team of all time?

It was a hard decision to make — the Screaming Eagles have arguably the richest tradition in Maryland, with 12 state, 16 regional and 19 Montgomery County championships since the program opened in 1974. But after deliberating in front of dozens of notable Seneca Valley football alums during a charity dinner at Churchill South Community Center in Germantown, Changuris’ voice raised several octaves while making a final decision.
‘‘Anyway, we wound up winning that game, 33-13,” he said, of a 4A state championship victory over previously unbeaten Suitland, ‘‘the best team in Seneca Valley history! 1997!”

The room full of Eagles erupted at the decision, which finalized a three-month process of anticipation. Changuris was asked by current head coach Fred Kim to emcee the event after the all-important question was posed on the school’s football Web site, www.svhsfootball.com. What began as a harmless poll escalated into trash talk among Eagle football alums, which prompted Kim to turn it into a social event.

He then asked Changuris, a part of every state title the team had ever had — seven as head coach and five as an assistant — to make the call. Changuris sorted through all 12 title teams in a mock-bracket, putting the 1994, 1997, 1999 and 1980 teams at the head of the class. He then laid out the rationale for the winner, which came down to two 13-0 teams: the ’94 Class 3A champs, who outscored opponents by a 10-to-one margin and ‘‘the easiest team I ever had to coach,” and the ’97 Class 4A champs, who played a more competitive schedule.

Former players from both teams argued the decision all night, though no one was too upset in the end.

‘‘Honestly I voted for the 1994 team, they were just a machine,” said Kim, who was also a strong safety and running back on the 13-0, 1987 state champs. ‘‘But this was just so much fun. It’s so nostalgic. When Terry was calling out the names, we’re all yelling out ‘Hey, remember this, remember that!’ We’re just all trading stories, because I mean, there’s such a tradition here. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Among the noteworthy names from Seneca’s rich past was Sherwood head coach Al Thomas — a member of the Maryland Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the Eagles’ first-ever head coach ever — who was at the helm for five state titles from 1975 through 1987. He, along with Changuris and Kim, are the only three head coaches in the school’s history.

A football coach since 1964, Thomas has coached thousands of players. But as he rattled off historical name after name, season after season, it was clear that his time at Seneca Valley will always be a part of his life.

He even brought a retro-1970’s shirt to prove it.

‘‘This shirt has actually never been worn — I found this in my basement when I was getting ready for this,” said Thomas. ‘‘Personally, I would never compare teams. But when Fred sent me an e-mail about the greatest teams ever, I knew [I would] be here.”

Of the roughly 20 former players in attendance included current Paint Branch head coach Mike Nesmith (1991 grad), Changuris’ son T.J. (2003), and Bryan Blessing (1993), the school’s all-time leading scorer with 345 points.

Also in attendance were a trio of Kelley brothers, all of whom won state titles. There was Mike, a wideout and defensive back on the 1992 champs. Then there was John, a tight end and lineman on the 1997 team. Last, but not least, was quarterback Chris, the 1999 All-Gazette Player of the Year, a former starting safety at Maryland.

‘‘I wish there were more people here,” Chris Kelley said, ‘‘because the tradition here is unbelievable. It’s not like this anywhere else.”

Tradition was the word of the evening for the school with more Maryland State Championships than any other. In fact, the shirts created for the event read ‘‘Tradition, Not Superstition.”

‘‘On a scale of one to 10,” Changuris said, ‘‘I give this a 20.”