Former football player returns to Cornwall after 15 years
November 2008: You’ve seen the postgame ritual. The football teams line up at midfield. As they walk past one other, they brush hands and mutter “good game.” But this one night was different. The interaction between the Nyack players and the Dragon quarterback was unique.
Nyack had advanced to the state semifinals after Kevin Arduino’s game-winning touchdown was called back for a questionable penalty. When the gun sounded, Kevin was the last one to walk to midfield and join his teammates on the handshake line. “I was still upset,” Kevin recalled years later, “when one of their players stopped and began talking to me. Then others gathered around. I can’t remember what they said. But it was a cool moment at a tough time.”
From the sidelines, you could tell that the opposing players were congratulating Arduino on an exceptional performance. It ended his connection to Cornwall football until he returned this May as the Dragons’ head coach.
May 2023: The current players met their new leader when Coach Arduino flew up from Texas for a camp at NFA.
He had been living in the Lone Star State for seven years after following his college coach to Nolan Catholic in Fort Worth. The opportunity arose soon after Arduino returned from a season of professional football in Italy. “I have a quarterback job for you,” his former mentor told him.
That was the first week in July. Arduino didn’t hesitate. “I bought a Sentra,” he explained during an interview, “packed it up and drove to Texas.” Nolan is a large school on the edge of a major highway. The athletic department was starting to rebuild the football program and their efforts were successful. In Arduino’s first year, the Vikings won three games. By 2020, they played for the state championship. And the next year, they switched to a national schedule – playing teams from all over the country. Some of their alumni moved onto the rosters at Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Cornell.
Since Nolan is a private school, Mr. Arduino was able to become a full-time teacher without having a certificate. He later earned a master’s degree in athletic administration. Although he was halfway across the country, he continued to talk to his former coaches. Marcus Hughes is now in Washington. Rich Ward is once again the defensive coordinator for the Dragons. Jack Cassel took a year off from Cornwall football so he could coach his own kids.
Coach Arduino and his wife Alex (nee Gagliano) both have family in the area. So, when the head coaching job was posted, they were anxious to come home – along with their one-year-old son Dominic, who is already playing with a football and basketball. The Arduinos settled in New Windsor in June. “It’s all been good,” the coach acknowledged. “But it’s crazy how quickly the season is getting here.”
During the summer, the Dragons worked out from 6:30 to 8:30 on Monday through Thursday mornings. With the early hours, players escaped the heat and were able to have most of the day to themselves. The schedule also suited the coach, who has a second job as a loan officer at a credit union. Fortunately, his hours are flexible.
Early morning attendance has been good. And the coach’s return to Cornwall has been praised by Athletic Director Jason Semo. “He’s as impressive as a coach as he was as a player,” Mr. Semo reported. He complimented the coach’s organization skill and his rapport with the players.
And the former Dragon quarterback is happy with his move north. “The draw to come here was the community and youth organizations,” he told me. “There wasn’t true community at Nolan. Kids came from an hour away. No one knew one another.
“In Cornwall the youth and the school program still have contact and that’s important to me. It’s different from a lot of other places.”
Coach Arduino visited the Youth Football League (still led by Dave Carnright) this month. The coach will be at Movies on the Hudson to hand out schedules on Friday, Aug. 18. The following Monday, practices officially start (6:30-10:30). And on Sept. 2, the Dragons travel to RPI for a 12:30 game against Colonie. The last time the teams met, Kevin Arduino was the Dragon quarterback.
Kevin Arduino Playing Days
2006: Replaces injured quarterback and leads Cornwall over Beacon
2007: New York State, Class A first team as a defensive back. Leads Dragons with 8 interceptions.
2008: Section 9 and New York State Class A Player of the Year. Passes and runs for a combined total of 42 touchdowns in 11 games.
2009: As a graduate prep school student, he quarterbacks Trinity-Pawling to a 4-4 record.
2011-14: Played for American International after red-shirting his freshman year. Was the NE-10 Player of the Year in 2013 when the Yellow Jackets were the conference champions. Passed for 13 touchdowns and ran for 20. Was second in the conference in yards gained rushing.
2016: Quarterbacked the Torino Jaguars in the Italian Football League.
