Football: Undefeated Arlington dominates Ossining, advancing to Section 1 semifinals

FREEDOM PLAINS - Mike Rescigno rolled to his right and heaved a deep pass across the field for Jayden Tuttle, who had a step on the cornerback. The defensive back grabbed the back of Tuttle's jersey and yanked him down, drawing an obvious pass interference call.

But the ball still hadn't arrived. As the high-arching pass descended, Robbie Jordan redirected from his route and raced toward it.

"I was on a corner route," the Arlington receiver said, which meant he was breaking toward the right as the pass was thrown far to his left. "But I saw what happened and adjusted to it. I'm running over there thinking, 'This is gonna be the weirdest catch I ever make.'"

It might've been. Jordan lunged and cradled the ball before it hit the turf, which turned that play into a spectacular and unintentional 44-yard completion. The penalty was declined, of course.

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"Robbie is an incredible athlete, and I had so much air under the ball that he had enough time to get over there and make a crazy catch," Rescigno said with a grin. "We're rocking and rolling right now."

So much so that even a missed note can become a beautiful riff.

That sequence was indicative of the do-no-wrong run this football team has been on from the start. It continued Friday as the top-seeded Admirals rolled in a 52-14 win over Ossining in a Section 1 Class AA quarterfinal.

"They've been focused and playing extremely well," Arlington coach Michael Morano said. "We have a chance to do something special, and it's exciting."

The Admirals will host John Jay-East Fishkill in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday.

Rescigno threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 198 yards, including two long scoring runs to lead Arlington.

Nick DeGuisto rushed for two touchdowns, and Chance Moultrie returned an interception for a score. Luke Lavello also had an interception, Cartier Joshua had a touchdown reception, and Ben Tesh made a 24-yard field goal.

The Admirals (9-0) were tabbed the preseason favorites and, to this point, they've managed to outperform the grand expectations. Their student section hung posters on the bleachers with the scores of each of their games, in sequential order, almost like a strikeout “K” tally at a baseball game with the ace pitching.

Summarizing that with some quick math: They've outscored opponents by an average margin of 33.4 points. All blowouts. To paraphrase Snoop Dogg: They don't miss!

"It feels great and it's a dream come true," Jordan said. "It's what you think about when you're little, being on an undefeated team and competing for a championship."

DeGuisto, filling in for injured star running back James Davenport, scored to put Arlington on the board. Fourth-seeded Ossining quickly answered with Shalin Jain's 40-yard touchdown to Giovanni Jean-Pierre, tying it at 7.

But the Admirals retook the lead on Rescigno's 13-yard touchdown to Tuttle on a slant with 3:54 left in the first quarter, which kicked off a 28-0 run.

Rescigno's 71-yard touchdown run made it 28-7 and, on Ossining's ensuing drive, Moultrie jumped a route in the flat, wrestled the ball from a receiver and took it back 37 yards for a touchdown with 2:56 left in the half.

Jordan's "weird" catch got the offense to the 7 as the third quarter ended, and DeGuisto followed with a touchdown run that made it 49-14.

Morano bemoaned penalties, which have plagued the Admirals all season. They're approaching 700 yards lost to flags, he said.

"Some of it is warranted and we have to clean that up," the coach said. "But I think sometimes, our guys are blocking so well and mauling people, it just looks like an (infraction) is being committed."

Nevertheless, with such an advantage in skill and cohesion, it would seem that only injuries or complacency are viable threats to them.

"We have a target on our back, so we know we can't afford to take anyone lightly," Rescigno said of avoiding arrogance. "We're getting their best shot, so we have to be prepared for that. Every week Coach 'Mo' is on us about tempo and energy. If we do that, it keeps us focused on bettering ourselves."

Anthony Lofaro scored a 5-yard touchdown in the third for Ossining (4-5).

The Pride have as many wins as they've gotten in the previous two seasons, but their point differential is significantly better, which suggests progress.

"We're going in the right direction and developing the culture," Pride coach Lawrence McRae said. "A team like Arlington is what we want to become in the next few years."

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Football: Rescigno leads Arlington over Ossining in quarterfinals