Hilltop wins send Lions to bowl

How do you motivate a team that has already accomplished all of its goals?

After easily beating all of its league competition, the Horace Mann football team earned two hard-fought victories over longtime rivals Riverdale Country School and Fieldston, each by a score of 14-6, the last two weeks.

Coach Matthew Russo is now tasked with getting his undefeated Lions charged up to play Saturday’s Hudson Valley Football League Bowl Game at home against a Dalton team they beat by 12 points less than a month ago.

After defeating their fellow hill schools, senior captains Michael Lighten and Steve Boland have an overabundance of confidence.

“We know we’re the best team in the division by far,” said Lighten, who ran for a touchdown in Saturday’s win over Fieldston and threw another to Boland. “We’re 8-0, of course we’re confident.”

Lighten said the team, which finished 3-4 his freshman year, has not had an undefeated season since 1957, though Russo could not confirm that. This year’s team has outscored its opponents 212-70, and the defense has stepped up in crucial situations the last two weeks.

The Lions stopped Riverdale on all four downs from their own 2-yard line with a chance to tie the game, and they caused three turnovers — two fumble recoveries and an interception — to stave off Fieldston after the Eagles had taken a lead only two plays into the game.

“We knew what we were up against playing Riverdale and Fieldston in back-to-back weeks, and we demonstrated how good a team we are,” Boland said. “Winning those games meant a lot to us. I love this team and I’m sad to see the season end.”

While refocusing the team for another game against Dalton may be difficult after two emotional victories, Russo said his team has not let him down yet this season and does not expect it to on Saturday.

“This is a special group of kids,” he said. “I’d normally say yes, that it might be hard for them to refocus. It is a weird dynamic because those two games [against Riverdale and Fieldston] are their own separate entity. But our kids have their eye on the prize and have a chance to put some icing on the cake.”