Thursday, October 1, 2026
Kito Lockwood isn’t discouraged. He can’t be, not with a football team as young as Malverne.
A year removed from graduating 24 seniors, including eight players currently competing collegiately, the Mules are young and inexperienced, a combination that doesn’t usually equate to a winning season.
But Lockwood has seen positives from a team that is 2-4 heading into the final two games of the regular season.
“It's just a matter of getting games under their belts and getting the varsity game experience,” Lockwood said. “Each week we’ve gotten better.”
Malverne entered the season with just one returning offensive lineman and one returning starter defensively. Reps were limited for key skill players, but they’ve risen to the occasion.
Sophomore running back Isaiah Smith has rushed for more than 500 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the feature back. Junior quarterback Jayden Jungra has thrown for nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns, while senior Isaiah Jolly has been a standout receiver with 19 receptions for 524 yards and seven touchdowns.
“The upside is the future is very bright. We just have to continue to work, and get better,” Lockwood said. “Coming in, we knew we were very young, putting the new team together and we'd have to see each week progression to have success.”
While Saturday’s 40-0 loss to Carle Place, a homecoming defeat on a day former coach Charlie Nanton, who died earlier this year, was honored, was particularly difficult, another defeat served more as proof of improvement.
On Sept. 27, the Mules lost to North Shore, 27-21 in overtime. The Vikings entered as the No. 6 seed in Nassau Conference IV and won the county title in 2021 and 2022.
“That, in itself, lets me know we’re in the right direction,” Lockwood said. “You give yourself some credit and the kids gotta also take note that we just were in a dogfight with a good football team.”
A year removed from a 7-3 season in which the Mules lost to Cold Spring Harbor in the Nassau Conference IV semifinals, this year’s Malverne squad is hoping for a miraculous run to the postseason.
First up is a trip to Locust Valley followed by a home game against Valley Stream South.
“Naturally, first to bounce back this week, get back on track, continue to get better, and go out and compete again Saturday against a good Locust Valley football team and finish the season off strong,” Lockwood said of his goals down the stretch.
And while Josiah Brown (Penn State), Kevin Estime (Franklin Pierce), Hugh Wilkinson (Southern Connecticut State), Zavion Daniels (Morrisville), William Hartley (Morrisville), Michael McDougall (Ithaca), Davion Thomas (Nassau Community) and Branden McLaughlin (Post University) are no longer there, it’s up to the young crop of Mules now to start to make a name for themselves.
“We talked about what you want your legacy to be,” Lockwood said. “It takes time and they have to continue to work hard and believe in the process.”
