Arundel Football Sets Sights High

If they wanted to, the Arundel High School Wildcats could dwell on the past.

They could dwell on the overtime playoff loss to Old Mill that eliminated their chances for a state title. They could dwell on the loss of talented quarterback Billy Cosh, who graduated and now suits up for Kansas State.

But after two games, it's clear the Wildcats have their sights set on greatness in 2010, as they've continued their pass-happy style of offense and incorporated a stalwart defense to boot.

The Wildcats lost nearly 30 players to graduation, including Cosh, who led the team to the state semifinals. But head coach Chuck Markiewicz has shown no willingness to scale back his aggressive style of offense, as the team followed an opening 30-7 drubbing of Old Mill with a 52-6 win over Severna Park last Friday.

"We've been doing this for a while, we've been scoring a lot of points for a long time," Markiewicz said.

After two games, it's clear that new quarterback Nick Rosati has a solid command of the high-flying offense. He's completed 35 of 53 passes for 509 yards, with seven touchdown passes and no interceptions.

"We've known since Billy was gone that [Rosati] was going to be our quarterback," Markiewicz said. "He's been ready for it, he's prepared himself for that and we've prepared ourselves."

Markiewicz said the team has worked to keep Rosati from feeling the pressure of filling Cosh's shoes.

"We said 'you be Nick. Let everybody else worry about the comparisons. This offense is built around what you're doing,'" Markiewicz said. "And from what I can see, he can make every throw we made last year. We can run every play we made last year. Our offense hasn't changed one bit."

Rosati,  a senior, says he was eager to prove he could lead the team.

"I feel really comfortable back there," he said. "It's been a lot of fun, too."

Rosati and the offense have been helped by the running game of Joseph Blackwell, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the first two games while scoring two touchdowns.

The Wildcats scoring output surprises no one, but the defensive effort has raised eyebrows. Arundel has allowed just a single offensive touchdown in two games while allowing just 11 pass completions for 83 yards. The team's defensive backs have combined for three interceptions, while linebackers C.J. Brinkley, Kenny Edward and Jordan Walker have shown strong tackling ability.  

"Defensively, we've got some people who have been in the system for a few years, so they know where they are supposed to go and what they are supposed to do," Markiewicz said.

The Wildcats tomorrow night will travel to Annapolis to face the Bruins of Broadneck High, who have also started the season with two wins and are coming off a 6-0 win over Meade High.

Markiewicz and Rosati both said they're taking things one game at a time, but after a blazing start, one can't blame them for aiming high.

"We all want to get to that next level," Rosati said. "It's all about how hard are we going to work to get there."