The Seton boy's soccer team is in the middle of a cinderella run, so to speak, the Saints took home the Section IV Championship and are now two wins away from a State Title led by a four-year letterman. Our latest Athlete of the Week brought to you by Amphenol Aerospace, John Ricci.

John Ricci is no stranger to Varsity Soccer, now a senior got the call-up early as a freshman.

"I was definitely one of the youngest on the team," Ricci said. "And I did not get much playing time."

But fear not! Coach Alex Walsh had a plan for the then-underclassman.

"Oh, yeah, he stood out a lot on the J.V. level when he was in eighth grade," Walsh said. "And I always knew there's something special about John. And every year I've had him, he's just gotten better and better. So by the time he's a senior, he's leading our team in assists right now. So it's worked out pretty well for him."

And Ricci's contributions don't stop there. John is a two-year captain on a senior-laden team that's peaked together this season.

"I feel like we've definitely grown, we've meshed together with our chemistry," said senior leftwing Keyahn Sethi. "We all know how each other play on the field and to see that that's really helped translate to chemistry on the field and made us better as a team."

Culminating in a feat that the program hasn't achieved since the millennium began.

"It's got to be winning sectionals for my first time in any sports," Ricci said about his favorite memory of playing soccer. "First time in, I think 23 years, really."

And it hasn't stopped there after the Saints downed Southern Cayuga in the Section IV Class C Title Game, Seton handled Fabius-Pompey 1-0 to advance to the State's Final Four.

"And go on this Cinderella run," Sethi said. "You could say it's special."

And if they could get it done, it'd be the first state title in program history.

"I mean, it means everything to win," Ricci said. "I don't think it's ever happened in Seton's history."

The Saints take on Elba/Byron-Bergen of Section V this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Goshen High School. If the Saints, win, they will play the winner of Waterford-Halfmoon vs. Mount Academy on Sunday for the State Championship.

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