Somers Repeats as State Champs with 35-6 Victory

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Somers boarded the bus for the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday December 1 and defending their state title was on the itinerary. Not so impressed, Whitesboro got down the field on the opening possession, and Memphis Ferguson ran 18 yards into the end zone. Only problem for the pretenders, a holding flag darkened their skies, and negated the score. Nonetheless, Andrew Kapica took note for his team. “Now, we knew what it was like to see them score,” he said, and the unpleasant memory stuck.

“We didn’t let that happen again,” Kapica was close enough, and a 35-6 victory on Saturday had his team raising the trophy again.

Either way, Somers officially reset the start by blocking the 35 yard field goal attempt. Even so, the offense wasn’t yet in gear. A first down reception by Kapica was all the opening drive managed, and the punt was away.

Whitesboro didn’t have much of an answer either. At least so it appeared. Under heavy pressure, Kyle Meier unloaded an incomplete heave, and Somers looked poised to begin again.

Unfortunately, offsetting penalties meant a redo, and Meier completed a screen right for a first down at midfield. Then all was as it seemed. Meier threw for the sideline, and Miguel Iglesias came down with the interception at the thirty.

Time to go, Mason Kelly and Mac Sullivan did their usual number and rolled the ground meat to the Whitesboro 45. Not done, Kelly ran twice for another first down, and after Sullivan pounded out three more yards, the quarterback reminded everyone he’s also light on his feet. Sullivan rolled left and hit Dean Palazzolo in the corner of the end zone for a 21 yard TD pass with 1:53 left in the first.

The Luke Cukaj extra point made it 7-0, and the defense now arrived. Meier got nowhere twice under pressure and neither did Ferguson when Giuseppe Gioffre introduced himself in the backfield.

Measuring up, the Whitesboro defense got the bends. Somers made it past midfield on the legs of Kelly and Sullivan. But the Warriors got the ball back on downs when Kelly couldn’t convert a fourth and one.

Taking over at the 40, Meier had a ground game too. He scrambled twice and had his team a first and ten at the Somers 49. Unfortunately, the Warriors were hit with a personal foul, and the first and 25 doomed the drive.

The game was next. After two no gains by Kelly, Sullivan and Palazzolo picked up the pieces. The quarterback struck his receiver on the sideline, and he cut the corner all the way into the end zone.

A 64 yard play, the airing out wasn’t necessarily a function of a few stalled drives. “There were a couple of things we thought we could do with the way they play defense, and that included some second level run, pass options and things of that nature,” said Head Coach Anthony DeMatteo.

A 14-0 game, Cukaj drew double duty after the extra point. He smacked a low liner, and the ball careened off the front line. Up for grabs, Somers got the recovery on the 39. From there, Iglesias got the Tuskers to the eight on a sideline reception, but a couple of Kelly runs and an incomplete sent Cukaj back onto the field.

Not so fast, before the kicker could wind up an illegal procedure was called. The offense came back out, and Kelly was stopped at the one.

No problem, Somers was probably just playing the field position game, and when Nick Newman got the sack with 55 seconds remaining, the Tuskers had a last chance before the half.

First Iglesias received 16 yards to the Whitesboro 40, and after Sullivan hit Kapica on a screen to the 22, emotion got the better of Whitesboro again.

Another personal foul and Sullivan was all business from the 12. The senior fired into Iglesias just over the goal line, and in giving Somers a 21-0 halftime lead, the divergence from the ground game was no departure, according to Gioffre. “We can do everything” asserted the lineman.

24 minutes away, Kelly was not a forgotten man. He rumbled 13 yards to get Somers across midfield, and soon enough, Palazzolo was losing count of how many touchdown passes he had. “Like a hundred,” he joked in regards to the 64 yard TD reception.

A quick strike over the middle, the recurring image is like clockwork. “When I’m out there and I see the defender behind me and nothing in front, I know it’s time,” Palazzolo assured.

Still, Whitesboro did attempt to make it a game. Meier threw a forty yard TD between two Somers defenders, and it was 28-6 with 4:20 left in the third.

Then the Warriors got a stop, They took over at the 22 with 1:14 left in the period, but the subsequent three and out was only prolonging the agony. A couple of Kelly runs, and another personal foul had the back icing the game with a three yard touchdown run. “It feels fantastic,” said DeMatteo. “I’m really proud of them.”

Back at him, Kapica gave voice for the team. “They are the best coaches I’ve ever had. They do everything for us,” said the junior.

As for a three-peat, the receiver simply has his team sticking with the program. “We got to work as hard in the summer and off season, and we’ll be back,” asserted Kapica.

Of course, all that can wait - at least until they get home.. Congratulations Tuskers, your community is proud.