Cousins go head-to-head as Seneca visits Shawnee

By KEVIN MINNICK
Courier-Post Staff

During the holiday season, there's this little game of three-on-three known as the Christmas Bowl.

One side features Dillon Lucas, a junior linebacker on the Shawnee High School football team.

On the other stands Lucas Brown, a junior quarterback/defensive end for Seneca.

It's no more than two-hand touch in the yard between family members enjoying the festive time of year. It's become a tradition these cousins have come to enjoy, although it's been a bit more enjoyable for Brown.

"My team has never lost," he said.

This year, the Christmas Bowl has come a few weeks early. Brown and Lucas will be on opposite sides of the ball again, but the stakes are much higher than who gets the first piece of pie for dessert.

When Seneca, No. 19 in the Courier-Post Top 20, visits No. 10 Shawnee under the lights tonight, the winner will get at least a piece of the Burlco/Olympic Liberty Division title. Both come in at 4-2 overall, 3-1 in the division.

How's that for an early Christmas present?

And a victory would also be a major factor in getting closer to securing a much-coveted playoff berth.

"It's always fun playing against each other," said Shawnee's Lucas, one of South Jersey's premier linebackers. "But as soon as I put on the chin strap, he knows it's football time. So, game on no matter what.

"If Luke is playing quarterback, all is fair. I wish the best for him and hope he stays healthy all year. But if he's the quarterback and sees me coming, I hope he's ready."

Said Brown: "There will definitely be some butterflies, but at the same time (the family rivalry) fuels the fire a little bit to do better.

"It's a good kind of competition between families. It's always awesome to play a family member in a game."

The two teams have met each other five times, with Shawnee holding a 4-1 advantage. The Renegades have won each time by shutout, including last year en route to a perfect season and the South Jersey Group 3 championship. The lone Seneca win came in 2006, a season in which the Golden Eagles finished 11-1.

"It's a big game," said Lucas, who leads Shawnee with a mind-boggling 104 tackles -- including 66 solos. "Family aside, I don't want to let the team down. I'm going to play 100 percent. It's going to be exciting, electric."

Are bragging rights on the line, too?

"Maybe a little bit," Lucas added. "In our family, football is the first thing. Before you get a bowl of cereal, you get a football next to you."

In addition to the family ties, there are others that make this a very special matchup.

Shawnee coach Tim Gushue lives a mile away from Seneca, just around the corner from Seneca's Bill Fisher. Gushue's wife taught at Seneca, while his youngest child was a cheerleader at the school.

"This is what you want," Gushue said. "It's like two brothers getting together and going after each other.

"This is the first time we've played each other where there is something really tangible on the line. That makes it real exciting."

Things started heating up last week when the two teams met for an ice cream eating contest at a neighborhood shop. It will certainly reach a fever pitch tonight.

"It's a natural rivalry and it's a good rivalry," Fisher said. "It's a good, clean rivalry between two good football teams this year.

"It's huge. Not only are you playing a sister school, but both are playing for a conference championship and a playoff spot. There's a lot riding on this game."

Reach Kevin Minnick at (856) 486-2424 or kminnick@courierpostonline.com