Konoza stays on track while an angel cheers in heaven

The announcement came with minimal fanfare.

No rolling cameras, no press conference, no rumblings within the recruiting ranks -- all that jazz is for the guys who get athletic scholarships.

Instead, when Beaufort High School's Seth Konoza declared that he would play football at the College of New Jersey on an academic scholarship, the audience consisted of his dad, two brothers and an angel.

Three days earlier, on Feb. 3, his mother, Holly, had succumbed to her seven-month bout with cancer.

But neither the taxing side effects of chemotherapy nor the doubt surrounding her existence had stopped Holly from serving as an inspiration behind Seth's superior performance at offensive tackle and the Eagles' run to the state title game.

Now, as her son made the decision that all parents cheerfully await, Holly was again shimmying her green-and-white pom-poms in support -- only this time, it was from heaven.

"I told her (three days before she died) that the reason I did so well was because I've been playing for you," Seth recalls. "She taught me I can do anything that I put my mind to."

Anything from attaining a4.47 GPA with a full load of advanced placement classes to his coaches consistently grading his performance in the low 90s on a 100-point scale as the undersized senior leader on Beaufort High's offensive line.

"He's done so well and been disciplined through it all," said Seth's dad, Mike. "It really says something about his character and the drive he gets from his mom that he's put his nose to the grindstone and grown into a man."

Not that the process has been easy for a close-knit family such as the Konozas, who shed tears with nearly 1,000 others during Holly's funeral at Beaufort High. But when asked what they credit for their strong sense of peace and resolve, the answer came without hesitation.

"There's no doubt in our minds that she's in heaven," Mike said. "We saw how strong her faith was through all of it, and that's helped us also be strong and depend on God."

As someone who endured a similar experience four years ago, these words came as no surprise.

When I was a 20-year-old college student, a sudden heart attack sent my otherwise-healthy mother to a seemingly premature death.

Emotions swirled and questions yielded few answers, but ultimately my faith in God helped me realize that I had to make the situation a turning point rather than an obstacle.

And in Seth's case, it's obvious that he's taken a similar approach.

The good grades that have been there since day one have only improved from a teenager who prides himself on starting homework at 7 p.m. while still getting a good night's rest.

And Beaufort High football coach Mark Clifford says Seth's focus and commitment, which were present as a "small, quiet" eighth-grader, improved as the 2007 season wore on.

"He's got the greatest work ethic of all time," Clifford said. "He's just got the total package as a mature, grown-up guy who is also a great football player."

Granted, the College of New Jersey is not a Division I powerhouse and Seth is probably more interested in pursuing his future study of interactive multimedia than becoming an NFL offensive lineman. But the point is, he has a choice.

All too often, high school athletes believe the myth that if you can throw a ball 70 yards or score 30 points per game, college is a given, with or without the grades.

Yet the reality is that academics are the requirement while sports are the privilege, and it's not until more student-athletes follow examples like Seth's that their path to success will broaden.

"I have a God-given ability to play football and perform well in the classroom, and I've taken that to heart," Seth said. "And just like before, I'm working hard for my mom because I want her to continue to look down on me and smile."