North Arlington High School senior Joanna Seca (seated c.) signs her national letter of intent to attend Drexel University, flanked by her mother Paula and father Mario. Standing , from l., are North Arlington athletic director Dave Hutchinson, head girls’ soccer coach Dan Farinola and principal Steven Yurchak.
NORTH ARLINGTON –
It was a day that most high school kids simply dream about, never mind kids from a small Group I school such as North Arlington High School.
So when Joanna Seca sat behind a desk last week in the Vikings’ gymnasium to put her name to an NCAA Division I national letter of intent to attend Drexel University, it was the culmination of a lot of hard work, dedication and devotion – not to mention immense talent.
“Drexel was one of the first schools to recruit me,” said Seca, who signed the letter with her parents, Mario and Paula, by her side. “I showed interest in their camp and went to their camp one summer. That’s how it all started.”
But then Seca, who led the Vikings to the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I semifinals last fall, started to do some research about Drexel.
“I liked their co-op program,” said Seca, who earned All- Group I honors last season, scoring 25 goals and adding 26 assists. “There are a lot of opportunities that can come from that program. I visited the campus and just loved the atmosphere.”
Seca plans on majoring in health science with the hope of becoming a physical therapist. Drexel has an excellent physical therapy program as well.
“The school is surrounded by good hospitals,” Seca said. “It’s just a great place for me.” Seca, who is ranked among the top three students in the North Arlington Class of 2016, was deciding among places like Cornell, University of Buffalo and Seton Hall, and was fine with the decision to attend Drexel over an Ivy League school such as Cornell.
“I’m okay with it,” Seca said. “I really like Drexel. My parents would have had to pay a lot for me to go to Cornell, so this is fine.”
North Arlington head girls’ soccer coach Dan Farinola was ecstatic to have one of his players sign with a Division I school.
“It’s unbelievable,” Farinola said. “When I took the job as head coach, I knew that Joanna had the potential to possibly become a Division I player. But potential is one thing. Joanna fulfilled it. And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. She’s such a hard working kid. Every day, she’s committed to soccer.”
Seca, who also plays for the 19-and-under national team of Portugal, plays soccer all year round.
“She’s always doing something with the sport,” Farinola said. “She goes to speed camps. She has a personal coach, a personal trainer. She plays club soccer all year. Anything that can be done to get better, Joanna does it. She loves the sport and is completely committed to it.”
Farinola said that Seca’s personality also helps her succeed.
“Everyone in the school absolutely loves her,” Farinola said. “She is so recognized around the school.”
Seca scored a total of 66 goals in her three years of varsity soccer at North Arlington, despite standing only 5-foot-2. She never let the height or the size of her high school or anything at all distract her or detract her from her goals.
“I knew that this was always a dream of mine,” Seca said. “But if I worked hard enough, I could attain it. It’s definitely a dream come true.”
Seca actually gave Drexel a verbal commitment last summer, but stuck true to her word last Wednesday, the first day that high school athletes could sign their national letters of intent.
“This is very exciting, because it’s official now,” Seca said. “I was excited all day, knowing that I was going to sign today. This is the next step in my life.”
Seca will head back to Portugal in March to play for the national team. The ultimate goal would be to someday represent Portugal in the Olympic Games or perhaps the Women’s World Cup. “
That would be the ultimate dream come true,” Seca said. “That’s my goal right now. I want to keep moving up. I know I’m getting closer.”
Seca said that she will always treasure her days at North Arlington.
“I learned so much about playing soccer in North Arlington,” Seca said. “I had great teammates and coaches. I’ll always remember all the games we played. It really helped me a lot along the way. I always learned something.”
Seca was asked about the stereotypes she had to endure – being a girl of small stature coming from a small school. “I guess I was able to break both of those stereotypes,” Seca said. “I’m proud of that. I was just confident with the ball and wanted to win. I was always very competitive. And I just had fun. I liked playing soccer.”
Nothing was going to wipe that bright smile off Seca’s face as she became the first NA soccer product to go Division I since former Observer Male Athlete of the Year Danny Cordeiro headed to NJIT two years ago.
Farinola said that he was thankful to Seca for her dedication to the sport and to North Arlington.
“She actually helped me with the job when I took over two seasons ago,” Farinola said. “I think if you’re truly committed to something, have your heart into it and have a knack for playing, then anything is possible.”
If anyone in North Arlington ever needs proof that anything is possible in terms of securing a scholarship, then they need to look no further than the achievements – both athletically and academically – of Joanna Seca.
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”