Somers Wins Come from Behind 16-12 Thriller over Yorktown

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On Friday September 13, Yorktown traveled to Somers, and in the face of the two time state champs, a bad trip was definitely a possibility. A 12-10 Husker lead with five minutes left in the game said otherwise. But Jaron Faulkner claimed that the Tuskers weren’t worried - even as the offense stood third and goal from the 16.

Drilling similar game situations all the time, said the defensive tackle, “We were good.” And just like that, Miquel Iglesias hit Dean Palazzolo over the middle for the game winning score.

Sending Somers into an uproar, late game heroics were the last thing that the game’s opening suggested. QB Kaden Gonzalez running for his life twice, Yorktown gained exactly zero yards, and the offense was ready to gear up.

They didn’t get the chance, though. Dean Palazzolo received the punt a bit left of center, and running right to sideline didn’t end until the elephants were in the red. A 45 yard return, Gavin Kelly made it 7-0 on the extra point.

At 8:46, the Yorktown offense still seemed like it had yet to arrive. A third and eight incompletion readied the Tuskers again, but a pass interference kept the drive alive.

No apologies, the miscue finally got the Huskers off the bus. First Gonzalez hit Johann Moeritz on the sideline for an 18 yards and then hit the receiver over the middle for 19 more.

Even so, the real estate grab to the Somers 29 turned out to be a case of the bends. Refusing to break, the defense allowed five yards on three plays, and the offense had the ball back on downs with 3:43 left in the first.

So the game remained on the standard Somers script. Unfortunately, no one sent the treatment to Yorktown. A couple of short Mason Kelly gains, and two illegal procedure calls gave the ball back.

In response, Yorktown got hit with a hold after a Gonzalez connection across midfield, and all still seemed right in the universe. In parallel, the QB stood confidently and let fly for Brady McEnroe. Maybe a little too sure of himself, the ball sailed just long, but the receiver dove, bobbled and ultimately pulled in the fling.

The first down at the Somers 38, the excitement turned out to be another blip. First, Chad Bowen was manhandled to the ground by Justin Hidalgo, Gonzalez was crushed under the full weight of the Somers rush, and a short completion wasn’t nearly enough.

11:07 left in the half, Yorktown opted to not play the field position game. The snap went sideways to Nicholas Hashim, and briefly seeing a lane, he was stopped short.

At the same 38 yard line of McEnroe’s reception, Somers stayed put until Iglesias went on a roll. To the left and running out of room, the QB beelined the ball to Chris Decker on third down, and Somers got the first at their own 48.

Kelly got ten more on the next play, and Somers was finally rolling. A sack in the backfield didn’t deter either. Iglesias’ keeper got back 13 and he did the same on fourth and one for a first down at the 19.

A first down later, Yorktown refused to break, and Somers settled for a 26 yard field goal. 3:30 left in the half, the defense played the trip drill. Pat Kennedy came down with the interception at the Yorktown 40. But Somers could not take advantage, and a ten point halftime lead it would be.

Out of the lockers, a Yorktown sack and holding penalty killed the opening drive for Somers, and Yorktown responded by driving the length to the 14. Not enough, Somers put up the four way stop, and the lead remained.

One first down on the heels of Kelly and Iglesias was well short of putting the game on the clock, and Yorktown reinforced the point. 47 seconds left in the third, Gonzalez went play action and zipped the ball right into the heart of the Somers secondary. A perfect throw, Tyler Galante had the 26 reception to the Somers 30, and Gonzalez wasn’t done.

After a rush to the 24 close the third, Yorktown received a razor close pass interference call, and Gonzalez didn’t give Somers much to ponder the controversy. He stepped right, and hit Moeritz just over the goal line with 11:37 to go.

The extra point missed, Yorktown still had the momentum, and the defense proved the point. Three plays, and the ball was back the other way.

Of course, Somers could play that game too and did their counterparts one better. On third and five, Gonzalez put one up under pressure, and Aiden Coolican had the pick at the Somers 39.

Not to be outdone, Yorktown returned the favor. On second and 24 from the 25, Iglesias passed on the sideline for Palazzolo, and James Carney stepped in for the interception.

Down at the Somers 25, an upset was at hand. 8:38 remaining, Gonzalez set his team up with a completion to Bowen at the 16, and didn’t panic after a sack and an incompletion brought fourth and eight. Two steps back and the QB lofted the ball for the corner, where Galante celebrated with the big brown balloon.

The extra point missed, it was time for Somers to wear their state crown, and after the first play, the Yorktown crowd rose up like their classmates knocked it off. An incompletion to Palazzolo, the flag went up in accordance with the defender’s pull on the step lost to the receiver.

Now at the Yorktown 40, a lot more steps were on the way, and the cleat marks came from Kelly. He took the handoff left, juked inside, and then hit the edge before cutting to the interior for a 25 yard run.

No gain on the next play, Somers switched direction on second down. Kelly cut inside on the right and bruised his way to the one.

The Yorktown crowd rose in exhilaration nonetheless. The ball came loose and was recovered in the end zone by the green. But the referee immediately ruled the ball down and so went the Husker faithful.

Iglesias, on the other hand, remained upright on the coattails of his teammate. “Mason came up clutch in the fourth quarter. That’s what he does,” assured the senior.

One yard to go, there was still work to be done. First and goal yielded a hold on Somers and Kelly was dropped for a loss. Third down and long, Iglesias was definitely playing favorites. “I’m always looking for Dean, and even if he’s a little bit covered, I got him over the defender every time,” asserted the QB.

A laser strike that took a slicing diagonal between three defenders, Palazzolo had it. A nerve wracking moment, the receiver explained the ease of putting aside the jitters for what proved another winning moment. “You know, we’re all family. We come together, and at the most crucial moments, we get it done,” he concluded.