If a Thursday home opener against Ossining looked like it was going to be a walk in the park, the Mamaroneck football team soon found out it would be anything but. But despite a late charge by the Pride—and a litany of cramps that affected some of their biggest stars—the Tigers managed to persevere and pick up their first win of the season with a 35-21 victory over their visitors.
The Tigers—buoyed by opportunistic defense and a brilliant start by quarterback Henry Mackie (11 completions for 177 yards and touchdowns on the ground and through the air), jumped out to a blistering start against the Pride, tallying the first three scores of the ballgame and heading into the second half with a 21-0 lead.
But Ossining rallied after the intermission, throwing a scare into the Tigers, who saw several key starters exit the game due to cramping.
“Early on, when you can get those turnovers and turn those into points, that goes a long way into establishing momentum,” said Mamaroneck head coach Anthony Vitti. “But we know what kind of program Ossining is, and how much football means to that community so we definitely knew they were going to fight back into the game.”
With Mackie sidelined for much of the final two quarters, Mamaroneck turned to junior backup Kieran Jacobson, who acquitted himself nicely under center, rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown to help Mamaroneck maintain the lead.
“In that second half it really became a question of next-guy-up and I think that one guy who embodied that was Kieran who did a really nice job,” said Vitti. “Physically, he’s a big, strong kid, but it’s the mental part of the game that sets him apart and allowed him to be successful.”
With the win, Mamaroneck improved to 1-1 on the season and will set their sights on a Sept. 22 showdown with rival New Rochelle. The Huguenots (1-2) struggled in their first two games of the season but seemed to find their footing last week when they beat Mount Vernon 36-20.
“[New Rochelle] has been the standard of football in this area for a long time, so it’s always a big deal when we play them,” said Vitti. “Our biggest thing is going to be if we are able to execute for an entire game; right now, we have stretches where we are playing really well, but we need to be able to put that effort forward for a full four quarters.”
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