By Zach Smart
On the field, the rivalry is akin to blood sport. Mahopac and Yorktown have been heated cross-town rivals since the inception of Varsity sports in Westchester County.
Off the field? There have been no real outward signs of animosity between the two schools.
Yeah, right. And night is day, up is down, and left is right.
If I had to take an educated guess, the Indians and Huskers won’t be hanging out at a post-game cookout. They won’t be heaping praise on each other, sharing stories, or busting out stomach-bursting jokes amongst each other. Not in this lacrosse landscape.
That would be criminal.
Tempers flare, emotions skyrocket, and hard checks and shoves are intensified. There is some extra juice for this one.
The mutual respect is always there, albeit no golf buddy relationships will be formed.
Mahopac and Yorktown love each other like UNC loves Duke, like the Yankees love the Red Sox, like liberals love Rush Limbaugh, like the 1994 Knicks love Reggie Miller, like NY Rangers coach John Tortorella loves the NY Media…You get the message.
Perusing through a list of traditional league foes, a few out-of-state powers, and maybe a callow program that’s widely considered a creampuff here and there, Yorktown always elicits a slightly different collective response from the Indians.
Mahopac has this memorable matchup marked down, circled, highlighted. The time, date, and location of the game is burnt into every player’s brain from the jump-start.
On Thursday, at 4:30 at Mahopac High School, the next phase of the rivalry opens up.
Simply put, no regular season game holds more importance. Yorktown’s post in Section I’s high-rent district is probable but not permanent.
Berardis threw a fake and fired a grenade into the upper left corner of the net. The storm is over. Mahopac snaps a dreadful 14-game losing streak (stretching back to 1999) to the Huskers. The Indians dispatched their sticks and helmets and bum-rushed Berardis, creating a jubilant pile-on as a dejected Husker team trudged off the field.
Foley's clutch rip created an 11-11 deadlock on the soaking wet field.
Back to the future.
Backboned by Johns Hopkins-bound defensemen Trevor Koelsch, the Huskers’ riding game forced Bronxville (which pelted Somers, 20-7) into their worst offensive performance of the season in a 15-3 thrashing.
Mahopac is cognizant that their defense must mirror Yorktown’s, with extra emphasis on limiting dodgers, snipers and the interior passing in the half-field set. Decked with a cadre of athletes who can open up a breakneck transition game, there won’t be a dull moment on defense.
The rivalry on the field always mirrors the rivalry been the two high-octane, ruthless, and spirited fan bases (see the Mahopac Maniacs and Yorktown Crop for more on that one). Expect a renewed blood feud.
Head Coach Mike Haddeland
On Preparation
“We know what they want to do, offensively. Defensively, they’re very solid. They have three very good defensemen. I think, our guys, if we believe and we play, we can make this a game. We have nothing to lose, that’s what I want to preach to these guys. The pressure should be on (Yorktown). They’re the best. They’re the team to beat.
On A Winning Formula
“We just have to play smart. We need to emphasize ball control and take advantage of opportunities. Every little play is going to be amplified and that’s what makes playoff games like this—this is pretty much a playoff game for us. That’s how I look at it. We have to see where we stack up against them, because it’s going to be a playoff atmosphere. It’s going to be that kind of intense feeling and it comes down to which team is going to make the least amount of mistakes. You do the little things right and the big things take care of themselves. That’s been preached in this program a long time. If you do what’s asked of you, it becomes easy.”
On The Come-From-Behind Win At Brewster
“Infighting like we had in the first half, blaming refs, and blaming whoever, it kind of sucks the life out of you a little bit. The second half, I think they did a great job of just focusing on playing. Let the passion for the game come out, as I told them. These guys did a good job, Ty (Weisberg) especially, Brendan (Hynes) anchoring the defense and (Brendan Crecco) made some key saves down the stretch to preserve the victory. These guys did a great job in response to that…That was a big game for us, growth-wise. We have to grow and get better every game. Finally we started to grow. I saw growth in that second half.
Brendan Hynes, senior long stick middie
On Playing Yorktown
“We’re definitely coming out with a lot of energy, going against Yorktown. It’s them and Carmel, the two teams I like playing the most in really any sport. The crowd’s always great, with both fan sections coming to support each team. It’s a spirited atmosphere, always. It usually comes down to whichever team has the most energy and who executes.”
On Thursday’s Matchup
“I think the pressure is on Yorktown because they are usually on top, they are usually the team to beat, people always want to knock them off.”
Nick Oliver, senior midfielder
On Defeating Yorktown Two Years Ago
That was unreal. I didn’t really play a lot, but I actually got to play man-up in that game and I actually was fortunate enough to score a goal. Kevin Carey drew a guy over on man-up, zipped it to me and I put it in. That was probably the highlight of my career, along with winning the sectional finals at the end of that year. I think about that game all the time, it’s probably the biggest game I’ve ever played in besides the section championship. It was crazy, emotions were so high after that game after Ant hit that shot.”
Ross Thompson, senior attackman
On The Task At Hand
“I think we just have to play level-headedly. Now that we are going up against Yorktown, it’s going to be a lot more pressure and a lot more strenuous. Every play is magnified. I think if we keep calm, we have a real chance. In the first half of the Brewster game, we didn’t really click. There was a lot of blame being thrown around. When things go wrong, the wheels start to fall off. When the pressure gets really high, tensions run high, it can drive you to make mistakes. We learned from that, settled down. So, we righted ourselves and turned everything around.
On The Second Half
“We were playing well in transition, executing plays, and communicating real well. Of course, with those two clutch shots by Ty, we were able to close the deal.”
Ty Weisberg, senior attackman
On The Yorktown Win Two Years Ago
“It was magical, I mean it was just crazy. There were so many emotions throughout the course of that battle, we just survived every push they made. Being part of it, it was unbelievable. That pretty much sums it up.
On The Magnitude Of The Yorktown Game
“I think going into the Yorktown game, we know it’s one of the biggest games of our season. We look forward to it the most. It gives us a chance to prove ourselves. It’s a really good test for us because they’re always a good program. They compete with some of the best teams around and in the tri-state. It’s a very competitive game always, we’re looking forward to it.”
Brendan Crecco, senior goalkeeper
On What This Game Means
“Playing against a team of this caliber, it’s a real yardstick game for us. There isn’t much to say to get us revved up for this one. We know we have to prove ourselves, we have to prove that we can reap the rewards of all the hard work and constant labor in this one.”