Football, Basketball
Favorite athlete: Lebron James
Favorite team: Cleveland Browns
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning the CB cup my sophomore year
Most embarrassing/funniest moment competing in sports: Hitting the side of the backboard in a CB East basketball game when shooting a jump shot
Music on playlist: Rap and country
Future plans: To continue to play football in college, while entering a business program, and studying Finance and Management
One goal before turning 30: To find the job that I will work at for the rest of my career.
One thing people don’t know about me: I'm obsessed with Golf...I'm not that good right now, but I'm slowly improving.
By Mary Jane Souder
The moment should have been too big for Anthony Giordano, much too big.
The then Central Bucks East freshman was pressed into emergency duty at quarterback in front of a full house of frenzied fans when starting quarterback Evan O’Donnell was forced to leave the Patriots’ game against archrival Central Bucks West with an injury. Adding to the drama, the outcome of the game was hanging in the balance.
“The East/West game is always so nerveracking, especially as a freshman going in there,” Giordano said. “That’s my first time ever playing football for varsity, and I’m going into the game in front of basically the entire town. Everywhere is packed.
“It was definitely nerveracking, but once I got that first possession under my belt, once I get hit a couple of times – I feed off that, I get in my groove, I feel comfortable. I live for those moments when everyone is watching - I kind of feed off that.”
Giordano did much more than just occupy O’Donnell’s spot on the field.
“He drove us down and got us in position to get a field goal to win the game,” coach John Donnelly said. “We didn’t convert (a 24-yard field goal), but as a freshman in the biggest game of the year, he drove us down. Against Pennridge the following week, he started because Evan was still out, and he set a record for completions. As a 14-year old freshman, he was already doing great things.”
Giordano’s program record set as a freshman in that West contest of 23 completions and 40 attempts in a game still stands.
“I don’t think there are many kids who could step into that situation, especially as a quarterback which is the most high profile position, and do what he did,” Donnelly said. “He is fearless and really just unflappable in that way.
“To come out the next week against a very good Pennridge team – Nick Tarburton was on that team, and he stood in there and made some big plays. Unfortunately, we didn’t win that one, but that was a very good team that we went head on with, and he did everything he could from his standpoint.”
Since his debut as a freshman, Giordano – who stepped into the starting role last year with the graduation of O’Donnell – shattered numerous program records and earned first team all-SOL Continental Conference honors last year. The East senior was on his away to another stellar season when he suffered a season-ending injury in the Patriots’ second game against Central Bucks South.
“I’m also a safety, and I was guarding a receiver, he caught the ball, and I’m grabbing him, trying to tackle him, and my right arm goes back and my shoulder just pops out,” he said. “It was kind of like a fluke accident. The doctors popped it back in when I got back to the sidelines.
“I was really upset, especially against South. It’s not quite the rivalry of West, but it’s still a rivalry game, it’s still competition for the CB Cup. I was definitely upset with myself that I couldn’t finish the game. It was tough, and it’s still tough.”
The Patriots have struggled without their two-year captain in the lineup.
“We’re not in the business as a team of making excuses because there are so many variables that go into how teams are affected,” Donnelly said. “This season has been – for everybody really – so different.
“There have been a lot of variables that have affected us from COVID in school and how that affected some of our players, but certainly with Anthony, he’s the linchpin.”
If it seems unusual that a star quarterback would also play defense, it might be, but Giordano is not your typical quarterback.
“He played defense at the end of last year, and he made us so different this year with that, and we really wanted to make a push for the playoffs,” Donnelly said. “He was – ‘Anything for the team.’ It was a crushing blow to the team’s psyche just because the kind of leader he is. He’s done so much for the team.”
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Growing up, Giordano played three sports – football, basketball and baseball, and he loved all three. He stopped playing baseball when he was 12 years old, although he has nothing but fond memories of the sport.
“It was kind of cool because my dad coached me all the years, which was great,” he said.
Football and basketball stuck. Giordano was projected to play a major role as a starter and one of the senior captains for the basketball team this winter.
“Gio is a leader,” East coach Erik Henrysen said. “He is the kind of leader that a coach loves. His actions always speak louder than his words.
“Last year Gio played a pivotal role for us. He is a ‘do-everything’ type of player. He’s capable of bringing the ball up, playing on the perimeter or even guarding a center.
“What I love most about Gio is his ‘all-in’ attitude. He’s the ideal teammate. He never makes excuses and celebrates his teammates’ accomplishments far more than he would celebrate his own. Our program is going to benefit from Gio and his fellow seniors for a long time. He raised the expectation level of what it means to work and compete.”
On the gridiron, Giordano got his first taste of playing quarterback during his years with Lenape Valley as a youngster.
“I played quarterback really my entire life,” he said.
As a sophomore, Giordano lined up at tight end with O’Donnell the senior quarterback.
“He had a great year for us,” Donnelly said. “Already you could see as a sophomore, he had not only the physical tools, but the leadership skills. He was just so respected by his teammates and peers.”
One year later, the starting quarterback job was his. Giordano put his name in the record books for most all-purpose yards in a season (2,259), most passing yards in a season (1,909), most completions in a season (144), most attempts in a season (259) and tied for most touchdowns in a season with 25.
“He’s extremely coachable,” Donnelly said. “He’s very hard on himself – he’s probably his biggest critic, and there’s usually not much to criticize about Anthony.
“There’s never anything to criticize in terms of his work ethic or in terms of his leadership. I think those are the biggest qualities. He is just a natural born leader, and that was evident even his sophomore year – just the respect that people naturally gave him because of how hard he works and how vocal he is and how demanding he is of himself. I think he demands more of himself than anybody.”
Although he’s not on the field, Giordano continues to make contributions as a leader and also as a mentor to sophomore quarterback Patrick Keller.
“I’m just trying to lead by example, especially with Pat - just be there for him,” Giordano said. “He’s young, he’s a sophomore, he’s going to make mistakes. I made mistakes when I was young and I still do. No one’s perfect. He’s doing a great job. I’m with him, I’m staying in his ear, telling him things, giving him positive feedback. If he does something wrong, I’m positively criticizing him, just constantly being there for him, being there for all my teammates and just showing that leadership presence.”
Competing in high school sports has had more than a few takeaways for the East senior.
“My motto playing football, especially at quarterback – I’m going to make mistakes, I’m going to throw interceptions, I’m going to make bad throws, bad reads, but when I get knocked down, I always have to get back up, I always have to move on to the next play, just keep a positive head and keep it going,” he said. “Everybody feeds off positive energy, but people can feed off of negative energy as well. I always have to stay positive for my teammates no matter the situation. Football teaches you a lot of life lessons that are going to carry a person throughout life.”
Although Giordano’s story didn’t have the ending he’d hoped for, he has plenty of good memories. Topping the list is beating West sophomore year and the student section rushing the field to celebrate.
“There’s nothing really better than that – the sensation is so great,” he said. “It feels so good. Everybody is so happy. It’s just amazing to be a part of it.”
The Patriots went on to defeat CB South and earned the CB Cup.
“That was amazing too – that’s my favorite memory because we won the CB Cup and that’s the bigger picture,” he said.
Although he had only one full year behind center, Giordano leaves behind quite a legacy.
“As we were walking off practice the other day, I said - you know the successes we’ve had this season and will have moving forward are because of him,” Donnelly said. “The success that Pat Keller is going to have moving forward is because of him. He’s just a born leader, and those are things that are just innate and the way he was brought up by his parents.”
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Giordano – who had surgery to repair a torn labrum this week – has not given up on the idea of returning for his senior basketball season.
“I’m going to be in a sling for four weeks after that, and then I’ll be starting rehab,” he said. “I’m going to try to get back as soon as possible.
“If it would be up to me, I’d have been playing in the West game (last week) – put on a brace, tape it up, do whatever I have to do.”
Giordano is planning to continue his football career at the collegiate level and is making college visits, leaving all his options open.
“He’s a great student – high academics, 4.0 guy,” Donnelly said. “So in two weeks this fall, he really produced a lot of great film for himself. For all the seniors, unless they had an offer before the pandemic broke, this is really a tough year for them because a lot of the schools are in a holding pattern in terms of eligibility with their current players and kids that they’re bringing in.
“It’s a difficult situation, but somebody is going to be lucky enough to get him at whatever level it might be. He’ll heal and he’ll be ready to go. He’s a special player, there’s no doubt about it.”
An excellent student, Giordano – who plans to major in finance/business next year - has taken AP courses and is a member of the National Honor Society. He is part of the school’s Athletes Helping Athletes and Coaches vs. Cancer.
“There are not enough superlatives in the world to describe Anthony from my standpoint,” Donnelly said. “I spend so much time with the quarterbacks. We just wanted to see him play it out.
“After two weeks, he was in the top 10 in the state in terms of passing yardage – he had 550 yards and six touchdowns. A lot of the guys that were in the top 10 had double the amount of games. They had four or five games ahead of him. His career numbers were outstanding. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to add to it, but he adds value in other ways. He does that every day with the team.”
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