Somers Back on Track after 30-3 Victory Over Yorktown

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After starting the season with two losses, Somers got back in their division versus Yorktown and was definitely seeking a return to normalcy. But when the home team drove their lunch pail down the field for a 3-0 lead, a lingering doubt quieted the crowd. The sideline was another matter.

“We started off a little slow,” said Jaron Faulkner. “Once we got into it though…” And 30 straight points for Somers completed the senior’s sentence.

First Yorktown spent eight minutes driving, and an open receiver in the end zone looked like six points. Not so fast, Jackson Whipple raced over and broke up the play on third and goal.

3:25 left in the first, Somers started at the 35 and the first big chunk came from a new look. “Running back gives me a different way to get the ball,” said Dean Palazzolo.

A first down at the 50, the offensive continued to diversify. Nate Mitchell and Tristan Iglesias grinded on the ground, and Cam Violante corralled a down and in to close the first quarter at the Yorktown 24.

Onto the second, the play calling went on rewind. This time Gavin Kelly put himself on the line, and Iglesias delivered more than another bullet over the middle. “Gavin is a tremendous overall player,” said the QB. “He has the size, the speed, everything. But most importantly, he’s worked very hard.”

Of course, the receiver wasn’t done. The senior trotted back and kicked the extra point for a 7-3 lead.

At 11:50, the defense got a redo, and there was no free lunch this time. Three plays and out had Lorenzo D'Ambrosio laying out the sequence and the defensive dominance that didn’t stop. “We played furiously,” said the defensive tackle/center.

A quick possession turn later, a conservative screen to the sideline had Palazzolo crossing the aisle. He broke two tackles, and after going 71 yards for the touchdown, the receiver went tongue and check to downplay his elusive ways. “I don’t know, maybe I’m a little slippery,” the senior joked.

No counter on the other side, Yorktown was punting the ball back a minute later, and the elephants opted to defer on their flight plan. Palazzolo struck lightning with a first down to the 45 and Mitchell then four thundering runs to the 25.

Back from missing all of last year, he didn’t get to celebrate. A holding penalty sent Somers back, and two plays later, Tyler Galante won an up for grabs over Palazzolo in the end zone.

No problem, Yorktown remained stuck, and the Tuskers left it on the ground this time. Starting at the Yorktown 38, two runs by Luke Balancia set up a first and goal, and he ran it in two plays later at 1:08.

Good enough to close the half with a 17 point lead, a scoreless third quarter did no favors for the home team, and Kelly got the chance to make up for the missed extra point at the end of the half. After Somers stalled at the 18, the kicker was true from 35 yards.

Ten minutes to go, Iglesias added the final score when he willed his way past the Yorktown line and refused to go down on a nine yard touchdown run. Multitalented like his brother, the lineage continues and didn’t go unnoticed. “He’s special. He’s worked hard, and tonight, he showed it,” boasted D'Ambrosio.

The same goes for the whole team, and Faulkner expressed pride in the way the team has taken the season’s slow start in stride. “Things are going to happen, bumps in the road come in but you can’t let that define who you are,” he concluded.

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