Carmel has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Arlington Admirals at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Carmel had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They blew past Suffern 35-6 at home. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35-0.
Carmel relied on the efforts of Christian Nunez, who rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, and Tristan Cash Werlau, who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Cash Werlau was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 51 yards. Ryan Aabel also helped out with an impressive 83 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Arlington put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past John Jay 42-21. Given Arlington's advantage in MaxPreps' New York football rankings (they are ranked 20th, while John Jay is ranked 110th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Michael Rescigno continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 216 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry, and also throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 passes.
Carmel has yet to lose a game at home this season, leaving them with a 8-1 record. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 33.6 points per game. As for Arlington, their victory bumped their record up to 10-0.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's match: Carmel has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 240.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Arlington struggles in that department as they've been even better at 242 per game. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Carmel was dealt a bruising 55-18 defeat at the hands of Arlington when the teams last played back in September. Can Carmel avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
