Somers Upfront in 31-7 Victory over Averill

Video courtesy of and with permission of NYSPHSAA

On Friday November 17, Somers faced Averill Park at Mahopac High School in the Regional Finals of the New York State Football Tournament, and Coach Anthony DeMatteo’s game plan didn’t go heavy on any sophisticated array of X’s and O’s. “We felt it was going to be physical, and we thought we could match that up with our guys upfront,” he said. A successful game plan that theTuskers didn’t wait to implement either.

Two Ryan Cole sacks, and a Nick Crecco tackle in the backfield quickly ended the first drive and set the winning tone, according to lineman Matt Klee.“We were the better team right off the jump,” he said after the 31-7 Somers victory.

Averill even felt the disadvantage when they lined up to punt. A weak attempt under pressure, Somers took over at the 39 and didn’t stay there long. After Kelly got his first three yards, Mac Sullivan hit Miguel Iglesias on a screen, and the Tuskers were first and ten from the 20.

Still Averill was strong enough to force a fourth and five, but Dean Palazzolo found the cracks in the foundation anyway. He received the screen and refused to go down until Somers stood first and goal at the eight. Then no surprise, Mason Kelly knocked down the wall on the next play, and Somers was on the board.

The extra point by Luke Cukaj good, the defense didn’t make the offense wait long to add on. Another Cole sack dooming the three play drive, this time the Tuskers started at the Averill 45.

Deja vu, the boys faced another fourth down when Sullivan’s screen to Miguel Iglesias was stopped at the 41. No problem, Somers’ demolition man rumbled to the right for a first down to the 28.

A breather for Kelly came on Sullivan’s sideline pass to Andrew Kapica, but Somers refused to let their running back get restless. Four bruising runs put him in the end zone, and it was no bother for Nick Newman to help pave the way. “I love hitting kids,” beamed the blocking tight end. “So just give me the chance to put someone on the ground.”

Another Cukaj extra point made it 14-0 to start the second period. Unfortunately, for the third time in two weeks, the kicker was left chasing. Drew Canaday received, hit the hole and found the sideline for a 85 yard touchdown return.

14-7 after the Gabby Geise extra point, Somers didn’t answer, and a game it appeared. Not quite, the Tusker defense dug in at the 35 and swung their mighty trunks. Two short runs and frontline pressure had Drake Teal-Gamble unloading the ball just before the herd landed on him.

The punt away, Somers took over at the 36 and was at midfield on two keepers by Sullivan. A few more Kelly runs and the Tuskers were 26 yards away. A fourth down conversion was not to be, though, and one score was still too close for comfort.

Not so much when the Somers defense stands in the way, and Andrew Violante's tackle of Nicholas Williams made good to force fourth down. So Averill tried to unsettle the paradigm. Instead of punting, Teal-Gamble loaded to pass.. An open Williams was not hit by the QB and Somers took over at the 43.

From there, completions to Violante and Kelly had Somers fourth and three from the 11. Not enough time, Cukaj trotted out and got some payback with a 28 yard field goal to close the half.

The kicker was left on the sidelines to start the 3rd, and the wear down of the bruising Somers offense soon had the Averill defense heading in the same direction. This time it was a trio of offenders sending the Warriors back into hiding.

Kelly went 19 yards to the 31, Palozzolo had two screen receptions to get Somers knocking at the 21, and two more Kelly runs yielded another first down. A dead ball personal foul set Somers back, but Iglesias hit the trifecta when Sullivan hit him over the middle for a 25 yard TD reception.

A 31-7 game, Somers kicked short, but even after forcing a fourth down, special teams still proved problematic. Austin Rouleau took the snap and took off for a first down to the 15.

That was all, though. The ball was surrendered on downs, and Nate Mitchell got a chance to show what he could do. To the cheers of his teammates, the backup back rumbled five times through the Averill defense, and his effort (and touchdown) exemplified the commitment of all the Tusker reserves, according to DeMatteo. “Guys that don’t see the field have more impact on the game than the guys that touch the ball, and people buying into our culture and doing all the little things on a daily basis is why we are who we are,” the coach clarified.

A team reaching the state semifinals for the third year in a row, the boys are looking forward to a rematch with Niskayuna “We know they’re better than last year. So we’re going to prepare hard this week and go for the win,” concluded Klee.