Quarterback Anthony Diieso is cooking up something special for the St. Anthony’s Friars.
After starting as a sophomore, Diieso is locked and loaded for his second year on varsity and put in the work this summer to prove it.
“Last year was definitely a little nerve-wracking, but now I’m all settled in — been putting in all the hard work,” the soon-to-be 11th grader told The Post.
“I think it’s going to be a fun one this year.”
Diieso won a quarterback challenge held by the Suffolk County chapter of the National Football Foundation in July, which he said got the good juices flowing ahead of August training camp.
“It was a lot of the top kids on Long Island,” Diieso said. “You see new faces, you see new play styles, and you have to compete.”
Now he wants to further a leadership role and rewrite the script after a semifinal playoff exit against Westchester’s Iona Prep last season in the Catholic League playoffs.
“My receivers and I, we’re all getting extra work in, making sure we’re prepared for this upcoming season,” Diieso said.
The redemption arc starts with challenging out-of-league games against New Jersey’s Red Bank Catholic and St. Peter’s Prep, also of the Garden State.
“I always love testing myself. Those games, they will really see what we’re made of. It’s a high-level competition, and I think it will be fun games.
“This season is everything. I want to win a state championship with my team, celebrating on the field.”
