Through the first three games of the fall season, any adversity the Mamaroneck football team has faced has been strictly off the field in nature. Even as the town—which was devastated by Hurricane Ida in early September—continues to rebuild, things have been business-as-usual for the Tigers, who came into their Oct. 1 matchup against rival Scarsdale with three one-sided victories under their belt. Friday night’s game would be a different story entirely, however, as the Tigers needed to call upon their resilience—and their big-play ability—to stave off a ferocious Raider rally and come away with a 24-21 win.
Trailing 21-17 with six minutes left on the clock, it would take a fantastic fourth-quarter drive—highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Jason Cox to Myles Flemming and capped off by a two-yard keeper by Cox—to put Mamaroneck on top for good, helping the Tigers stay perfect despite the scare.
Cox, who was hit in the backfield on his third-down scoring run, said he knew that with Mamaroneck’s undefeated season on the line, he knew he had to keep his feet moving.
“Running that option, I knew I was pulling and I saw that kid coming toward me,” he said. “I hit his hand, and somehow the safety coming just missed me, and I got in.”
For much of the game, it seemed unlikely that the Tigers would need any late-game heroics to claim a victory. Cox ran for a touchdown and found Flemming for another in the first half to help Mamaroneck head back to the locker room with a convincing 17-0 lead. But the Scarsdale offense, powered by backup quarterback Adrian Duval, led three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter to give the Raiders a three-point lead.
“It’s the nature of that [Scarsdale] offense, sooner or later, they’re going to find purchase,” said Mamaroneck head coach Anthony Vitti. “They’re a well-coached, well-oiled team and sooner or later, that offense finds answers.”
That Mamaroneck was able to answer back with a score of their own—and stop the Raiders on their ensuing possession—gave Vitti hope that the Tigers have the mental toughness that it will take to compete with some of the tougher teams left on the schedule.
“We told them all week that this was going to be the situation, that this was most likely going to be a one possession football game, where we haven’t really been in that situation this year,” said Vitti. “You can preach it, you can talk about it but until you’re in that situation, you never really know what you’re made of.”
With their first signature win under their belts—and a spot in the Class AA playoffs all but secured—the Tigers (4-0) will look to stay undefeated this week when they host RC Ketcham on Oct. 8. For Mamaroneck, the victory over Scarsdale could be used as a blueprint for future success.
“This was the best win I’ve been a part of here, beating Scarsdale at Scarsdale in front of all these fans,” said Cox. “I was ready for the bright lights and so was everybody else.”
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