Beating your arch rival is always a cause for celebration. Beating that same rival in a game to secure home-field advantage in the upcoming playoffs? That’s even sweeter.
On Friday, Oct. 24, the Mamaroneck Tigers headed to Scarsdale to take on their foes in maroon, beating the Raiders 24-14 behind inspired defensive play and a big game from running back Mark Lebowitz.
Lebowitz ran for 165 yards and two scores on 23 carries to power the Mamaroneck offense that was playing without a few of its main contributors including Noah Koby, while Henry Kelly threw for 114 yards and a touchdown on eight completions to hand a solid Scarsdale team a loss.
The win was extra-important for Mamaroneck, which entered the matchup coming off their first loss of the year—an overtime thriller against John Jay—and were looking to reassert themselves as a true Class AAA title contender.
“We were pissed,” said running back Mark Lebowitz. “We were grinding every single second of practice, we knew we had Maroon this week, so we put in the work, we studied, we watched film, and it worked out for us.”
Lebowitz said that although the Tigers have relied on their defense heavily this year—the team has only allowed 20 points once this season—it was the offense, and particularly the offensive line, that secured their victory over the Raiders. The game was a close one for the first two quarters before Mamaroneck turned on the jets and ran away with things in the second half.
“Our line was amazing today and our defense really picked it up in the second half,” he said said. “In that second half, I think we just raised the intensity, our blocking was amazing, and I started lowering my shoulder.”
The win puts Mamaroneck at 7-1 on the year, which is good enough for the No. 2 seed behind undefeated top-seeded John Jay. They’ll begin their playoff push on Friday, Oct. 31 against a familiar foe in New Rochelle. The Tigers and Huguenots squared off just three weeks ago, with Mamaroneck topping the No. 7 seed 40-20.
But Lebowitz and the Tigers know full well that a trip to the section finals isn’t something that’s guaranteed, not even after Mamaroneck’s solid play in the regular season; it’s going to come down to discipline, execution, and drive.
“We just have to lock in more,” said Lebowitz. “We’ve got an extra day of practice, we’re practicing on Sunday, so we just gotta put in more work, watch more film, and focus even harder.”
