School: Quakertown
Football
Favorite athlete: Marian Barber III, Steve Slaton
Favorite team: Dallas Cowboys
Favorite memory competing in sports: “The adrenaline rush right before a home game coming out of the tunnel.”
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: “In midgets, I was jogging into the huddle during a game and tripped over my feet, right on my face!”
Music on iPod: Rap, rock
Future plans: Attend a four-year university, major in physical education and play football
Words to live by: “The character of a person is shown when nobody’s looking.”
One goal before turning 30: “Be married with children and financially successful.”
One thing people don’t know about me: “I am extremely serious when it comes to my future.”
John Donnelly knew he was onto something special the minute he spotted Tony Latronica on the gridiron.
“I remember seeing him as a seventh grader and seeing the ability of this kid,” the Quakertown coach said. “Even his ability to cut and change directions back then – it was easy to see he had a tremendous amount of talent.”
So talented is Latronica that – with the majority of his senior year still remaining – he has already shattered a pair of longstanding school records.
The gifted running back has not only broken Jay Poggi’s career rushing mark of 2,495 yards that was set in the mid 70’s, he has also shattered Ken Shroy’s record of 3,181 all-purpose yards. Schroy went on to excel at the University of Maryland and later played for the New York Jets.
“Tony has just been so productive,” Donnelly said. “That’s the first word I can mention about him with his offensive ability.
“Career records like that aren’t broken every day. These are big ones when you talk about guys of that magnitude, but he took it all in stride.”
Latronica’s remarkable production is just the tip of the iceberg for a young man who has worn the name of captain for two years – the first two-year captain in Donnelly’s seven years with the program.
“He matches his athletic ability with his work ethic and his leadership ability,” Donnelly said. “He’s really just the whole package.
“Off the field, he’s just got a great personality. He’s very coachable. He’s always very quick to give credit to the offensive line, to deflect praise away from himself and towards the team. He’s very unselfish that way.”
Latronica received his inspiration to play football from his father, John Latronica, himself a standout high school player. He began playing organized football in Southern Lehigh and later moved to Quakertown for his first year of tackle football.
He also played baseball and basketball and competed in track, but those sports fell by the wayside as he directed his focus toward football. That focus paid big dividends.
When he was a freshman, Latronica started on defense, and as the season progressed he also saw time on offense.
“There were seven or eight guys on that team that went to D-1 schools,” Latronica said. “It was really awesome getting to play with great players like Caleb Ruch (a starting offensive guard at Rutgers) and Nate Dixon, and they really welcomed me onto the team.
“Our team didn’t do too great, but we had a lot of great players.”
It didn’t take long for Latronica to prove he belonged on the field.
“In his first game his freshman year, he picked off a pass,” Donnelly recalled. “It was the first drive of the first quarter. Right away we knew we had made the right decision to bring him up.”
Midway through the season, Latronica began making his mark on the offensive side of the football as well.
“Against Upper Dublin, he caught a swing pass, made a few guys miss and then broke through a few tackles for a score,” Donnelly said. “That was his first varsity score, and we knew he had something special.”
What sets Latronica apart on the football field? The same thing that caught Donnelly’s eye when he first set eyes on the Panther star.
“His change of direction is just really incredible,” Donnelly said. “He sees things so well on the football field and makes tremendous cuts at full speed, which a lot of guys aren’t able to do.
“He’s got excellent hands, he’s an unselfish player, and he blocks very well. I can’t say enough about him.”
For his part, Latronica doesn’t really get caught up in the records and accolades, although he admits it’s quite an honor.
“Coach has given me a lot of opportunities running the ball, and Ryan (Tincknell) is such a good quarterback,” the senior standout said. “It’s a great honor, especially Ken Schroy going to the New York Jets and playing in the NFL.
“Those records have been around for a while, and I’m just trying to set it high enough that it will be around for a while.”
According to Donnelly, Latronica is a natural fit to lead the Panthers.
“There are times when he will speak up and certainly everybody listens,” he said. “He can be a fiery leader that way.
“Also, just the way he practices, the way he carried himself in the weight room in the offseason – always being the first guy in line and doing things the right way. He kind of models the right example. He’ll always be vocal when necessary.”
Not surprisingly, Latronica has impressed more than a few people along the way.
“I have a three-year-old son, and he loves Tony,” Donnelly said. “That’s all he talks about.
“Tony is really the whole package from that standpoint.”
Latronica has worked tirelessly to elevate his game. The team lifts three or four days a week during the offseason.
“Just going from last year to this year, we worked so much harder in the weight room,” he said. “Whenever teams were inside because of the weather, coach had us outside, and we were working our butts off. I came into this year just working a lot harder to become a lot stronger and faster.
“The motivation for all of us to get better is what has driven us.”
And on game day, no one is more prepared than Latronica, who at 5-7, 175 is not physically imposing.
“I go into every game saying nobody is going to be able to tackle me each and every play,” he said. “I’m not the biggest player, but I put in so much work and time, and coach has us doing all the right things.
“The line is doing a great job, and I just look at it as no one is taking me down on every play.”
As for the Panthers’ 4-0 start, Latronica and his teammates are keeping things in perspective.
“You just have to focus on every team, one week at a time,” he said. “Our team has the motivation.
“We don’t go into any game cocky, but we have a confident swagger about us just knowing if we play our game no one can really beat us.”
Latronica, who plans to major in physical education, has his sights set on playing football at the collegiate level. Delaware, which has expressed interest, is at the top of his list. Donnelly believes he will be a perfect fit for a Division 1-AA program.
“I think that’s where he belongs,” the Panthers’ coach said. “He’s not the biggest guy. He was up to 195, and he was fit, but he dropped back to 175 by August, and you could see it in his legs.
“His legs are electric. He’s fresh, and I think he could play at the 1-AA level. I hope somebody gives him a chance because that’s where he belongs.”
For now, Latronica is focusing on a final high school season that the Panthers hope will be most memorable.
“I’m really excited,” Latronica said. “I have been playing with these guys for years.
“If we just play together, I think it will be an awesome year.”
