Malverne football's Isaiah Smith does it all in final minute of victory over Lynbrook
Isaiah Smith of Malverne picks up yards on a keep as Christian Costanzo of Lynbrook looks to tackle him during the second quarter of a Nassau Conference IV football game at Malverne High School on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. Credit: James Escher
Isaiah Smith had already delivered when Malverne needed him.
With the Mules trailing Lynbrook by two, the 6-3, 230-pound bruising runner accounted for 39 yards on a 73-yard drive. He shed two tacklers on a 10-yard touchdown run with 59 seconds remaining. Smith added the two-point conversion to give Malverne a six-point lead.
But he had one more play to make.
Smith got a hand on a pass, hauled in the deflection, and suddenly had nothing but daylight in front of him. He raced 55 yards for a pick-6 with seven seconds left in the game. Malverne’s sideline and home crowd erupted, as almost everyone on the sideline put their hands in the air.
It was the finishing touch in a 22-10 victory over visiting Lynbrook in Nassau IV Friday night.
“I read the QB’s eyes, and I caught it,” Smith said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I have to take this to the house to seal the deal.’ Once that happened, I saw everyone’s faces, the crowd, it was really a morale boost.”
Smith rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and provided the game-sealing defensive score. Malverne earned a win over Lynbrook, a team considered one of the favorites in the conference. Lynbrook defeated defending champion Seaford in its season opener.
“Isaiah Smith is a dawg,” Malverne coach Kito Lockwood said. “He’s a ballplayer. So he’s going to make the plays when the time is right. And by no surprise, he came up big when we needed him tonight. He took the game over.”
Malverne (3-1) led 8-7 at halftime, but Lynbrook took control of the third quarter. The Owls ran 22 plays to Malverne’s six. Lynbrook’s Tommy Potash and Alihan Simsek continued to move the chains. Phillip Dzieciolowski nailed a 25-yard field goal with 48 seconds remaining in the quarter. Lynbrook led 10-8 after three quarters.
Malverne’s drive to open the fourth quarter resulted in a punt with 8:57 remaining. But the Mules’ defense got a needed stop. Jamir Houston and Brian Major tackled Potash on third-and-6 and forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with just over six minutes to go.
Then the trio of Smith, Houston and Jayden Johnson stormed down the field in just over five minutes. They went 73 yards on 10 plays, all runs, before Smith got into the end zone with 59 seconds left.
“I just knew I couldn’t let my teammates down,” Smith said. “I know they depend on me a lot as a captain, as a player and as a role model. So I already know I can’t let them down.”
“The win means a lot,” Houston said. “They’re right down the block, so we know that they’re an incredible team. We were able to slow down their running game, and then we just had to focus on our pass defense.”
Malverne held Lynbrook (2-2) to just 90 rushing yards on 27 attempts.
Smith’s pick-6 then sealed it. Smith and Houston transferred to Malverne this season, forming an exciting trio with Johnson. And after Friday night, the Mules have shown they belong in the conversation in Nassau IV’s title race.
“We had a chip on our shoulders and our coach says, 'I'm from a town called show me', so that's what we did." Houston smiled. “Malverne is definitely back.”
