Nick Rosati knows the legacy left by the last two Arundel starting signal callers.
He’s aware that in 2007, Nick Elko (Delaware State) carved up the State record books setting then single-season bests for passing yards (3,091), touchdown passes (43) and completions (260).
He even watched as last year’s starter Billy Cosh (Kansas State) rewrote history with an even better season than Elko put up. Cosh is now the Maryland state record holder with 3,913 passing yards in a season, 56 touchdown passes and 292 completions.
That’s a lot of pressure for Rosati to live up too, right? Not according to him.
“There was [some pressure] but I’m not Billy Cosh, I’m not Nick Elko. I’m Nick Rosati,” said the senior quarterback. “That’s what I’m going to do, be me.”
“We don’t see it as pressure to follow them,” said Arundel head coach Chuck Markiewicz. “Nick has his strengths and we will build our approach around the things he does well. The last thing we want Nick to do is try and do something he is not capable of doing.”
Along with passing the ball, the 5-foot-10 quarterback brings something to the table that Cosh didn’t.
“I don’t have the same arm as Billy but I can run,” he said. “I like to run and I can throw. That’s what I’m going to do for this team.”
The Wildcats have a lot of weapons at Rosati’s disposal. Senior wide receiver Tyler Washington is a big target who can go up and get the jump ball or speed past defenders to haul in the long pass.
In the backfield, senior running back Joe Blackwell returns after rushing for 1,200 yards a year ago. Blocking upfront are two of the premier lineman in the state in seniors Ed Hunt and Joe Kopp. Hunt has a scholarship offer from Monmouth while Kopp has been fielding some interest from Cornell.
“Nick is going to fill in more than adequately at the quarterback position,” said Markiewicz. “He is a positive leader and brings a more quarterback run oriented approach. His ability to escape using his feet is a luxury we haven’t had since Nick Elko was here.”
There may be a new quarterback at Arundel but it’s the same deadly offense that can rack up a bunch of points in a flash.
