Mamaroneck topples defending Class AA football champion North Rockland, 54-20, in semi

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MAMARONECK – This might be the year.

A career day from Mark Lebowitz landed Mamaroneck in the Section 1 Class AA title game for the third time in four seasons. The junior running back celebrated in the end zone four times Friday during a surprising 54-20 win over defending champion North Rockland.

The Tigers have never won a sectional title in football.

“It would mean everything,” Lebowitz said. “We’re gonna work so hard this week. We’re gonna really get after it in practice and put everything into winning a championship because we deserve it.”

Mamaroneck will face undefeated John Jay-East Fishkill at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Mahopac High School. The Patriots defeated Scarsdale 28-14 in the other Class AA semifinal.

It’s no longer uncharted territory for the nucleus of this roster.

“We’ve gotten ourselves to the point where now there are heightened expectations in our community,” Tigers coach Anthony Vitti said. “The players understand what’s at stake. They buy into the culture we’ve created, and they appreciated and enjoy the fruit. We never take winning for granted. Every win is special, but when you start to pile them up, they start to understand that they have to seize these opportunities.”

Takeaways

Mamaroneck could not have scripted a better start. Lebowitz and the Tigers rolled straight down the field on the game’s opening possession and took a quick lead. Brian Auker picked off a pass and got the offense right back on the field. Two plays later, Lebowitz was in the end zone for his second touchdown.

This offense has been difficult to get a read on all season, but this may have been a light-bulb game. Lebowitz wasn’t the only playmaker. Henry Kelly, Max Cooper and Auker were highly involved and the guys up front are in sync.

North Rockland was able to move the ball on the ground, but this offense is not geared to come back from 34-0 deficits. Mamaroneck pounced on defense, too, intercepting four passes and returning two of those for TDs.

Player of the game

Lebowitz is hard to keep up with. He delivered 240 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries.   

By the numbers

Mamaroneck (9-1): The Tigers lost in overtime, 20-14, when they hosted John Jay-East Fishkill on Oct. 17. … Kelly threw for 76 yards and one touchdown. … Max Cooper scored on a 4-yard run to make it 27-0 with six minutes to go in the first half. … Jack Perez caught a 3-yard TD pass and returned an interception 40 yards for a score. … James Matlow brought an interception 39 yards to the house. … Zack Alperowitz also picked off a pass.

North Rockland (6-4): Chris Norman got the only touchdown against the Tigers’ first-team defense, scoring on a 23-yard run. … Tyler Pricso had a pair of late TDs.

They said it

“Offensively, we’ve kind of sought our identity for a long time,” Vitti added. “Certainly, this league doesn’t do you any favors in terms of having the ability to get right. Every team is a contender. I think being able to grind early with a new quarterback, a new group of backs, a new group of receivers helped. We weren’t sure week to week where we were going, but we stayed the course and I think we finally figured it out.”

“That start was definitely a momentum booster,” Auker said. "We have such great coaches and we trust them fully and they put us in the right places to have success. We certainly have stars on our offense who are just getting better and better every week and it shows. Everyone is comfortable in their shoes and we’re showing that we are a versatile offense.”

“It was definitely the biggest game of my career in terms of yards and touchdowns,” Lebowitz said. “I’m not sure what it was, I just ran the path our blockers paved.”

Mike Dougherty covers high school football for The Journal News/lohud.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mamaroneck tops North Rockland in Class AA football semifinal

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