On Friday, Sept 10, the Mamaroneck football team kicked off its 2021 season, taking on Yonkers Brave in front of a raucous crowd under the lights at Memorial Field. But even though the Tigers thrilled onlookers with a decisive win, the game—played against the backdrop of the devastation Hurricane Ida left in its path earlier this month—also highlighted the resilience of both Mamaroneck and its denizens.
From a football standpoint, the outcome of Thursday night’s contest—which featured a pregame ceremony honoring those effected by Ida as well as Mamaroneck’s first responders—was never truly in doubt, as the Tigers blitzed an overmatched Brave team to the tune of a 48-0 romp.
Junior quarterback Jason Cox, who completed 10-of-10 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns, was quick to downplay the final score of the game, instead discussing how the team’s response to the disaster—which included assisting their neighbors hit hardest by the storm—was more important than coming away with a victory on Friday night.
“It’s been tough, but this has brought us closer together as a group, and being able to help out the community has been an honor,” said Cox. “These people are out here supporting us every day, so it was nice to be able to return the favor.”
Head coach Anthony Vitti said that he was especially impressed with his players’ ability to assist in Mamaroneck’s recovery process and still retain the capacity to come to practice each day to prepare for the squad’s opener.
“Obviously, their focuses and energies have been in some different places,” Vitti said. “So it was great to see them be able to steel themselves and make themselves available to be between the lines when they’re between the lines.”
Vitti noted that ever since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, student-athletes have seen their adaptability—and ability to compartmentalize in times of crisis—tested often.
In the last 18 months, we’ve looked at it as ‘our circumstances don’t define us, it’s our response to those circumstances that do,’” Vitti said. “Last spring, we had to do a lot of juggling, whether we were dealing with Covid issues or had to find a new game because another school was having issues, so I think that has all set us up for the kind of showing we had tonight, and I’m proud of the kids coming out tonight, putting Mamaroneck on the map, and making the town proud.”
The Tigers will be back in action on Sept. 17 when they host Yonkers’ other combined-school team, the Force. The Force fell to Mount Vernon 44-24 on Sept. 11.
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