Somers Run Ends with 40-17 Loss to Rye

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When Gavin Kelly hit a 37 yard field goal with 92 seconds left in the first half, Somers looked on their way to a 5th straight sectional championship. Up 10-0, Rye used the time constraint to discard their first have conservative game plan. They scored on two long passes, and the Rye air attack was far from done.

Carson Miller to Sebastian Lewis, Henry Shoemaker and Charlie Brady had the top seed piling on 34 more points in a 40-17 victory. “I wish them the best, moving on to represent Section One,” said Coach Anthony DeMatteo.

The opening possession of the game did provide a little foreshadowing - despite it lasting only three plays for the Garnets. Amongst a herd of secondary elephants, Miller placed a perfect ball into Lewis, but the receiver dropped to kill the sequence.

No reason for concern it seemed, the Tuskers went to work. A shanked punt put the ball at the Somers 45, and there Nate Mitchell began to bruise. He ran over the Rye line on three straight carries and put Somers 35 yards away. Two plays later, Tristan Iglesias hit Bret Kennedy on the sideline, he shook off the cornerback and scampered into the end zone at 6:54.

7-0 on Kelly’s extra point, Somers didn’t give an inch on Rye’s ease into the game. The defense contained two runs to three yards, and a Miller incomplete put Rye into punt formation.

Setting Somers up at the 35, the going wasn’t as easy this time. Dean Palazzolo ran around the corner to midfield. But an illegal procedure and a backfield tackle of Mitchell upended drive two.

Rye’s turn, the air attack started to show signs. Miller hit Lewis on the sideline for a one handed grab, and on third and 14 from the 31, the QB hooked up with Lewis for a first down at the Somers 45.

Still, pressure up front stalled the Rye drive, and Somers took over with ten minutes left in the half. Now, the Rye defense answered back. Quarterback switching sides to cornerback, Miller picked off Iglesias and geared his team up at the 44.

Not for long, Somers harried the Rye signal caller into a two more incompletions, and the Tuskers were still riding high. Palazzolo on his horse first, he made another dazzling punt return and started the offense on the 45.

There, Somers kept it on the ground. Aided by a face mask penalty, Iglesias’ keeper got the ball to the Rye 32, and two runs by Luke Balancia added nine more for Mitchell to crash over for a first down at the 19.

But two no gains put Iglesias’ arm on the docket. He connected with Jackson Whipple for nine, and then the QB fired up his bulldozer. He muscled his way for a first down, and Somers was goal to go.

However, an illegal procedure complicated matters, and the Rye defense took advantage. A sack and incompletion later, Kelly trotted on to salvage the drive. He connected for a 37 yard field goal, and the Somers postseason itinerary still looked like it needed booking.

Enter Miller with his receivers and the game changed in two blinks of an eye. First Miller found a tightly covered Lewis in the middle of the field and then caught Henry Shoemaker in stride for a 10-6 game.

So Palazzolo did what he could to retake the momentum before the half. The senior kick returner turned the special team into Swiss cheese and didn’t stop until reaching the Rye 37. Unfortunately, time forced Somers into field goal position at the 15, and Kelly’s kick went wide with no time left on the clock.

The ball to Somers to start the third, Palazzolo picked up where he left off. He got the Tuskers out to midfield, but the offense went no further.

The Somers defense seemed to match up at first, though. Forcing a 3rd and 25 from midfield, Somers wasn’t able to measure up to the air assault. Miller hit Brady on the sideline, and after being pulled down on the one, Miller snuck the ball in at 8:08.

The extra point blocked by Jaron Faulkner, the 13-10 lead didn’t leave Somers out yet, and Whipple was the one coming in. He took the kick off on a bounce and eluded all the way to the Rye 41.

From there, Somers had a little help on a third and long scramble by Iglesias. Stopped short of the first, an unsportsmanlike penalty on Rye yielded new life, and two plays later, Whipple hauled in a 16 yard touchdown pass.

In at 5:54, Rye didn’t panic. Up high, Brady pulled down three passes to the Somers 23, and Miller stayed grounded for the rest. He scrambled to the sideline for goal to go and went inside twice for a 20-17 lead.

In response, Whipple took another bounce and got Somers to the 43 on the kick return. Even so, the Tuskers turned the ball over on downs, and the Rye receivers ran wild again. Brady caught two, and Shoemaker took the ball in stride for a 33 touchdown with 32 seconds left in the third.

26-17 after Lorenzo D’Ambrosio blocked the extra point, the mini shift did briefly yield results. Palazzolo got the ball up the field on the kickoff, and Jayden Abruzese ran across midfield to the 32.

Unfortunately, the chance for a comeback became dire after Dean Monachelli received at the 20. He fumbled, and Rye had no mercy. Miller unleashed down field again, and tight end Nigel Strazzini did a number to the 24.

A play later, Miller was in the end zone, and while the death knell essentially rang, Coach DeMatteo praised his boys for continuing the lesson plan. “I’m really proud that our guys buy into the idea that no matter what’s going on, we continue to fight,” he assured. “I hope they take that into the rest of their lives.”

The final epitaph belonged to Kennedy and spoke louder than the scoreboard. “I wouldn’t trade them for anything, these are my guys forever,” said the senior.

Somers Photos - Rye Below

Rye Photos