Arlington Athletics --- Home of the Admirals --- Football

As the fall sports season is drawing to a close, the Admirals football team wanted to finish with a bang. Going into their last game on Sunday Nov. 2 at home against its cross town rival, Our Lady of Lourdes, the team already had five wins under their belt in hopes to bring home one last win. The team's determination showed on the field, as the Admirals ended the season with a 39-6 win.
Bringing in the first touchdown of the afternoon was senior Mark Mendelson, with a 4-yard touchdown run. Junior Joe Delia was able to grab the second touchdown of the game with a 35-yard run. Finishing the first half, junior quarterback Sam Loussedes threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mark Mendelson for a halftime lead of 19-0.
Carrying a strong lead, the Admirals were a force to be reckoned with going into the second half. Senior Greg Shuluk used his defensive skills as he intercepted a pass from Lourdes, returning it for 50-yards. Mendelson was then able to score one more 4-yard touchdown run. Mendelson got on the score sheet again, running a kickoff return 80-yards for a touchdown, his fourth on the night. Senior Brian Senno was able to end the game with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Being a team that came from a 1-8 record in 2007, to turning it around in 2008 with a final score of 6-3 was a tremendous task. Head coach Dominick DeMatteo commented on his teams' season. "I couldn't be more proud of the team," he said. "We were faced with so much adversity this year, and we worked so hard in the off season,"
DeMatteo spoke of his team's hard work, which paid off to give the Admirals their best season in almost a decade, as senior Ryan Szaniszlo, explained it. "It was a great team effort, especially by our seniors; this is the team to have turned it around. It is the first 6-3 winning season we have had in over a decade," Szaniszlo said.
The Admirals were given one of the toughest schedules in the entire section explained DeMatteo, "We were given four league games in the beginning, and it dictates whether or not we will go into the playoffs," he said. The three teams they faced in the beginning were the teams that ended their seasons in the semi-finals. The only three games the Admirals lost were to Carmel (Ranked #22 in the state), John Jay E.F (Ranked #10 in the state), and Mahopac. Arlington is now ranked 9th in Class AA.
DeMatteo commented on the team's drive to finish with a successful season, "The kids had a tremendous focus all week at practice. They knew how important it was to finish the right way and I knew when we had our walkthrough that the kids were razor sharp. The kids ran it, with the seniors taking on a leadership role," he said.
As for the Admiral's feelings on such a turnaround season, captain and senior Colin Desens said, "It is great to end the season on a 6-3 note and be able to turn this program around. It is great overall when the team plays well." Brian Senno who scored the final touchdown for his team commented, "It was a great win, and an awesome end to the season. When we started the season 1-3, it was pretty tough but coming back with five wins was pretty big for us," he said, "It was a step in the right direction for the whole program. When the team plays well, I am happy to be a part of it."

	COACHES' CORNER Colin Desens, Andrew O'Connor, John O'Connor, and Ryan Szaniszlo have been selected to particpiate in the Section #1 Senior All-Star Game. Please click the link for details...
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