Just because Mamaroneck cruised to a Class A title on Wednesday night, doesn’t mean the road wasn’t at least a little bit bumpy.
On June 4, the Tigers repeated as Section 1 champs on the strength of a strong second half that saw them turn a 12-7 halftime lead into a 17-8 victory. The Tigers previously topped Scarsdale 19-4 during the regular season, but Tiger Junior Brian Aucker explained that Mamaroneck knew they’d get a stiffer test from the Raiders this time around.
“They’re obviously a strong program and we knew they would come out with a different level of intensity,” said Auker. “We just knew we had to remain focused, play our game and play together.”
Auker credited the Raiders for adhering to a solid gameplan early on, but said that the Tigers’ talent eventually proved too much, as the time of possession and shot attempts all favored the top-seed. Jake Reese led the Tigers with four goals, Jude Meisner and Nate Kulish added three apiece, Carsen Winters and Jared Rabina had two, and Auker, Owen Reese Brady Smith and Max Cooper all hound the net as well.
“We knew their coaching staff would have a gameplan against us and they were really trying to stop our big scorers, like Carsen,” said the junior. “But we have a lot of guys who can step up that’s what we did today.”
Scarsdale was led by Jackson Starr, who had four goals on the afternoon. Mamaroneck’s two goalies, Will Greven and Ben Bacallao combined to make eight stops on the day.
With the win, the Tigers will move on to the state tournament, where they will face a tough regionals opponent in undefeated Half Hollow Hills (20-0). Last year, the Tigers advanced to the NYSPHSAA semifinals before being eliminated by Farmingdale.
Half Hollow Hills won the Long Island championship on Wednesday with a win over Massapequa.
“We know we’re playing the Class A champs from Long Island and they’re going to be tough,” said Auker. “We just have to play together keep getting better and continue to play our game.”
