One way to judge the Seneca football team is by its 3-5 record.
Another is by its also-ran status in the West Jersey Football League Constitution Division and South Jersey Group 4 playoff races.
Bill Fisher looks at his team from a different angle.
"This might be the most fun that I've ever had as a coach," Fisher said. "Just being around these guys every day has been great."
Fisher said the Golden Eagles have been the same team all season, win or lose. They've been bright-eyed and bushy-tailed whether they've been coming off a devastating loss to Washington Township or a rousing victory over Camden Catholic.
It hasn't been an easy season for Seneca. Playing in the Constitution Division - which features Top 10 teams Timber Creek and Camden Catholic, as well as playoff squads Moorestown and Paul VI - has been tough duty.
The Golden Eagles also have a daunting nondivision schedule, with three games against Lenape district rivals - Cherokee, Shawnee, and Lenape - and a fourth against Group 5 power Washington Township.
"We're not going to complain about our schedule," Fisher said. "We're up with the big boys, but that's where we should be. We know, with our division this year and with our crossover games, that we have to play almost a perfect game every week to come out with a victory.
"We haven't always been able to do that."
Seneca senior tight end/defensive end Will Flake said the season has been "frustrating," especially for players in their final year in the program.
"We have a lot of seniors, and we had high expectations," Flake said. "We knew our schedule wasn't easy, but we were hoping to do a little better."
The Golden Eagles have been in every game. Their five losses have been to teams with a combined record of 26-11, and all five are likely to be in the playoffs: Moorestown (5-3), Paul VI (5-2), Shawnee (4-3), Washington Township (6-1), and Timber Creek (6-2).
Seneca has not lost by more than 13 points. The Golden Eagles were within a touchdown of No. 2 Timber Creek in the fourth quarter, and they took No. 8 Washington Township to overtime in a 35-28 loss.
"We've played hard all 48 minutes, even longer against Washington Township," Flake said. "But a lot of times, it hasn't been enough."
Fisher knows most folks rate teams by their records. He understands how that works.
But he believes this team is something special. The Golden Eagles have dealt with difficult defeats and the loss of their leading rusher and scorer, senior running back Joey Pawlowski (heel injury), and have maintained their spirit.
"This is such a great group," Fisher said. "They are so personable. They love the game. They work so hard.
"Everything that we talk about as coaches, that describes them. They've had heartbreaking losses, and they just keep coming back out, every Tuesday, ready to go for another week and to do everything that we ask them."
Fisher said the team has a unique group of seniors, led by Flake and Pawlowski and running back Alec Flexon, who have set the tone for this season.
"Joey has been out at every practice, trying to help in any way he can," Fisher said. "Alec Flexon is 5-8, maybe 180 pounds, and is pound-for-pound as tough a kid as I've ever coached.
"We have 16 seniors, and they've taken ownership of this team. They are so unselfish; there's no finger-pointing when things go wrong. All they care about is the team."
Flake said many of the players in the Golden Eagles' senior class have been together since middle school. They are disappointed to miss the playoffs. But they know they still can finish 5-5 with victories in the consolation game as well as in the Thanksgiving clash with Cherokee.
"We know we can get to .500, and we're set on it," Flake said. "This is a great group of guys to play with. We've been together for a long time, and we stay positive with each other.
"We'd rather be together, even if we haven't won as much as we would have liked, instead of having split up and gone to other schools and won there. We wanted to stay together."
Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports
