Eduardo Seija and his Curie teammates had plenty to celebrate on Oct. 24.
Seija, a senior two-way starter at fullback and linebacker, scored the first touchdown of his career as the Condors shut out Urban Prep-Bronzeville 30-0 at Rockne Stadium to complete one of the state’s biggest turnarounds.
A year after going 0-9, Curie is 5-4 and heading to the IHSA playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Condors play at Glenbard East in a Class 8A opener on Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Senior quarterback Dennis Calloway threw two long touchdown passes to junior Gabriel Taylor Jr. — covering 60 and 45 yards — to stake Curie to a 12-0 first-quarter lead. The Condors, who have won four in a row and five of six after an 0-3 start, then had rushing touchdowns from Seija (5 yards), Darius Townsel (4 yards) and Miles Jones (5 yards) in the fourth quarter to pull away.
“That was very fun,” Seija said of his score. “I’ve been blocking for all this — to get that touchdown, (I thought), ‘I got mine.'”
There were more carries for different backs against Urban Prep because the Condors were without senior captain Antonio Henry.because of an injury.
“He tried to muscle through it,” Lewis-Bey said. “We tried to get him healthy for this week but he just couldn’t go.”
Fun as the touchdown run was, Seija’s main job is to keep Curie’s defense on track.
“That’s my captain of all captains right there,” Condors coach Jarve Lewis-Bey said. “Only kid I haven’t been able to replace on the field. He’s a great leader, extremely dedicated kid.
“He’s me as the defensive coordinator. He’s out there on the field and he can make his adjustments from what he’s seen. He looks at plenty of film, he’s growing as a player.”
“That’s a big responsibility, and it’s very important to me,” Seija said. “I’ve got to make sure everything’s right, everyone’s in the right spot.
“I have to know everyone’s job but I’ve also got to be making sure I know my job.”
The defense has stood tall after a tough start as Curie has three shutouts in its last six games. The Condors finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Public League White North with Mather and North Lawndale at 5-2, two games behind Sullivan.
Now it’s on to the playoffs.
“It’s a great thing for the kids because the seniors haven’t seen it,” Lewis-Bey said. “They deserve it, they earned it.”