Richards football has always been a part of Seamus Doyle’s life.
Doyle’s father, Sean, played for the Bulldogs and was a teammate of Richards coach Tony Sheehan. Seamus’ older brothers, Pat and Joe, also played football at the school, as did a pair of their uncles.
“I grew up coming to games here,” Seamus said. “I’ve known coach Sheehan my whole life. This team means a lot to me. I’m the youngest brother and this is my last year, so I want to do something big with this team to end it the right way.”
Doyle, a senior defensive back/receiver, is a key returnee for the Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 10 in the Daily Southtown’s preseason rankings.
For Sheehan, it’s a strange feeling talking about it being Doyle’s senior year.
“I’ve known him since he was born,” Sheehan said. “His dad was my middle linebacker and center half the year when I was the quarterback here. His mom and dad dated in high school, so I hung out with his mom back then. We’ve all known each other a long time.
“His two older brothers played here. He’s the last one coming through, so it’s kind of sad to see that, but at the same time it’s exciting. It means I’m getting old, I think.”
Doyle, an all-conference selection last season in the South Suburban Red, is an explosive athlete capable of making big plays on both sides of the ball. But what really excites fellow senior defensive back/receiver Austin Synoga is seeing Doyle deliver a hit.
“He gets everyone riled up,” Synoga said. “He’s just a crazy player out there.”
Richards’ Austin Synoga (8) tries to fight through the block of Lemont’s Zac Piskule (2) during a South Suburban Conference crossover game in Oak Lawn on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Doyle’s brothers are several years older than him, graduating from Richards in 2016 and 2017, so he spent many Friday nights as a kid in the stands watching the Bulldogs.
Joe and Pat served as role models and also set a standard for Seamus to live up to.
“They were my biggest inspiration to play football and stay with it,” Seamus said. “There’s a lot of trash talking in the family, so I always have to bring my best to the field so they can’t talk too much.”
Sheehan sees pieces of all the Doyles within Seamus.
“He’s a lot like his older brothers, but he’s got a little bit of his dad in him, which I like,” Sheehan said. “His dad was one tough cookie. You see that in Seamus, and that’s exciting.
“He’s so talented and he knows football. He’s been around it his whole life, so there are things we don’t have to tell him because he already knows it.”
Doyle did a little bit of everything growing up, including wrestling, baseball and basketball. He gave it all up his freshman year to zero in on football.
“I just wanted to give football all my focus,” he said. “It’s the sport I love the most. There are lessons you can get taught from the game from your coaches and from being on the field.”
Richards is coming off an 8-3 season in 2023, winning the conference title before suffering a wild 52-51 defeat to Chatham Glenwood in a Class 6A second-round playoff game.
Sheehan said he expects this team to “have a very good defense, like the old days,” with Doyle and Synoga leading the way in the secondary.
Another defensive back, junior Ahmad Buchanan, has a Division I offer from Akron, while senior running back/linebacker Myles Mitchell — a North Dakota State recruit — is the conference’s reigning player of the year.
Richards’ Myles Mitchell breaks free against Oak Lawn during a South Suburban Red game in Oak Lawn on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
Mitchell is expecting big things from the Bulldogs. And from Doyle.
“It’s amazing having Seamus out there,” Mitchell said. “He’s a very aggressive player who comes down and hits hard and he can go cover, too.
“He’s really a Swiss Army knife. You can put him anywhere and he’ll do some damage.”
Team: Richards
2023 record: 8-3
Offensive leaders: Myles Mitchell, senior, running back/linebacker; Milan Mosely, senior, receiver; Liam O’Boyle, senior, lineman; Amir Yousef, senior, lineman.
Defensive leaders: Ahmad Buchanan, junior, defensive back; Johnny Lipscomb, junior, lineman; Timothy Merriweather, junior, lineman; Austin Synoga, senior, defensive back/receiver.
X-factor: Seamus Doyle, senior, defensive back/receiver.
