Thursday, October 1, 2026
As if North Shore’s defense wasn’t enough for Malverne’s Jayden Johnson to overcome, the sophomore tailback battled cramping that sent him to the turf in pain several times in Friday night’s Nassau Conference IV football matchup.
But nothing could stop Johnson from leading the Mules to an impressive 32-12 victory just six days after a heartbreaking Homecoming defeat. Johnson had 159 yards and four rushing touchdowns, including the go-ahead score late in the third quarter.
“I owe it all to my coaches and the offensive line,” Johnson said. “I had cramps in both of my legs but I was able to overcome it. Losing to West Hempstead was tough, but we put it behind us and practiced hard all week.”
Cameron Wesley, another sophomore, capped the victory with a 2-yard touchdown run with 5:32 remaining as Malverne evened its record at 2-2. Senior Matthew Burgos had a pivotal fumble recovery on special teams, Tyleek Whitfield recovered a fumble to help seal the deal, and Chris Tucker, Devondre Martin, Brian Major, Chris Morales and Julien Dumornay dominated in the trenches.
“We let one get away last week but I’m content with 2-2 at the halfway point,” Mules head coach Kito Lockwood said. “We had a lot of guys come up big tonight and I thought we did a great job of finishing.”
Sophomore quarterback Joseph Cristofari scored both touchdowns for the Vikings, who slipped to 1-2.
“I’m proud of the way we competed,” North Shore first-year head coach Bill Madigan said. “We’ve got a lot of younger kids out there and Malverne took over a little bit with their physicality in the second half. I know we’re going to stick together and keep working and that’s all I can ask.”
Trailing 12-6, North Shore pulled even with a 13-play scoring drive to open the second half. A 19-yard reception by junior Casey Gates on fourth-and-14 from the Malverne 26 kept the chains moving and his 10-yard run set up Cristofari’s 3-yard touchdown burst.
“Joe’s a gamer and his work ethic is unmatched,” Madigan said of Cristofari.
The Mules responded quickly and needed just over two minutes and six plays to take the lead for good. The key play came on second-and-14 when senior quarterback Jayden Jungra connected with junior Jace Richards for a 44-yard gain into the red zone. Then on second-and-goal from the 11, Johnson followed the lead block of Major into the end zone to make it 18-12.
“Coach Lockwood always tells us to act like you’ve been there [in the end zone] before,” Johnson said.
North Shore’s ensuing possession was derailed by a penalty that nullified a long gain and it was forced to punt from midfield. A botched snapped on the punt attempt was recovered by Burgos at the Vikings’ 20 and his reception on the first snap of the fourth quarter set up a Johnson 12-yard touchdown run that upped the margin to 24-12 with 10:47 left.
“We’re always going to be the best-conditioned team,” Lockwood said. “Tonight our emphasis was finishing drives. Last week we didn’t, but tonight we did.”
The Mules have a bye next week and return to action Oct. 10 at Seaford. The Vikings host Cold Spring Harbor next Saturday at 2 p.m.
“Every week is another test,” Madigan said.
