Arlington has two things in its favor this season: A Class AA state title in hand and a boatload of winning tradition. Upholding that tradition this year will be (from left to right) Pat Mogan, Kevin Hoff, assistant coach Aidan Topley, head coach Craig Sanborn, David Verdis and Eric Eastman.
Photo by Jane Haslam
It's never easy replacing a legend. It's even more difficult when that legend caps a brilliant 31-year coaching career with more than 500 wins and a state championship in his final game.
The challenges have been numerous over the past three seasons for
Arlington (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) boys coach
Craig Sanborn, who served as an assistant coach under veteran head coach
Gary Montalto before taking over in 2010.
Senior Joe DeRosa
Photo by Jane Haslam
Sanborn has hardly skipped a beat, however, leading the Admirals to a NYSPHSAA Class AA title in 2012 and a No. 5 national fall ranking. Arlington is looking to do it again in 2013, and is one of 10 fall boys teams to be honored as a national title Early Contender presented by adidas and Dick's Sporting Goods.
In part, Sanborn knows who to thank.
"We coached together for 15 years, eight years with me as the junior varsity coach and seven years as (Montalto's) assistant," he said. "It was an absolute pleasure to work with and alongside him. The knowledge and experience that I gained through his guidance has been invaluable.
See all the 2013 Fall Soccer Early Contenders"I knew it would be difficult (following Montalto), as with any change," Sanborn added. "We were at a period of transition with some new and upcoming players and the transition was difficult for all of us. Once we got our feet wet, we were primed to go and we have been rolling ever since. The type of players involved in our program are dedicated, hard-working, committed and a great group of individuals. Because of these great qualities it has allowed us to grow together as a family. The experience has been wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Like time, the great soccer tradition at Arlington marches on.
See the entire Arlington preseason soccer photo gallery.Local look: "The defending Class AA New York state champs graduated some critical players – most notably University of Rochester-bound forward Jeff Greblick and Fairfield University-bound goalkeeper Alex Fazio – but the Admirals have a great developmental program in place that consistently feeds the varsity team with fresh talent. Coach Craig Sanborn rotated several forwards last season in anticipation of Greblick’s departure, with senior David Verdis a prime candidate to take on his role as Arlington’s go-to scorer. Filling Fazio’s cleats may be a more difficult task, but the Admirals are known as one of the top programs in New York state for a reason and should not be counted out."
- Vincent Z. Mercogliano, The Journal News (@vzmercogliano)
