SOMERS, N.Y. - On Friday, Nov. 13, Somers traveled to North Rockland High School to face Clarkstown South, and three third-down conversions on the opening possession had the Tuskers' passing attack firing on all cylinders.
En route to the end zone, Cam Violante, Evan Maurolo and Christopher D’Ippolito were all on the receiving end of Tristan Iglesias passes. Then the defense took its turn setting the championship tone.
“I remember hitting him, and the ball came out,” said John Seeger.
Tayton Castro-Prato recovered the fumble, the offense was in the end zone two plays later, and a 13-0 lead paved the way for a 34-16 rout.
Special teams started the run for Somers, though. Harry Brelesky burst through the Vikings' defense and gave his team a starting point at the 41-yard line.
Two plays for no gain didn't faze Somers. Iglesias dropped back and fired a laser over the middle to Violante for a first down at the Vikings' 35.
It was the same story two plays later. Facing third-and-12, Iglesias confidently lofted a pass to Maurolo along the left sideline, and the Tuskers were 11 yards away.
Somers teased some more by going nowhere on the next two plays. So Iglesias looked left, hit D’Ippolito with a screen pass, and the receiver worked his way through the defense for the touchdown.
“Our coaches call it working up the ladder,” D’Ippolito said.
In the end zone with 8:13 remaining in the first quarter, Somers was off and running. Danny Hershfield's extra point made it 7-0, and Clarkstown South wasn't as fortunate on Francis Brennan's ensuing fumble.
Seeger applied the pressure, and Ryan McAuley summed up the costly miscue.
“Those little mistakes add up,” said the lineman.
Jayden Abruzese did the actual math. On second down, the running back took the handoff to the right, and Somers led 13-0.
With 6:56 remaining in the first quarter, Clarkstown South appeared to have a response. Two Brennan screen passes moved the ball to the 45, and the quarterback then broke to the right sideline for a 25-yard run to the Somers 20.
Bending but not breaking, McAuley came up big. First, he sacked Brennan for a 3-yard loss, and pressure on the quarterback just after his release led to a third-down incompletion.
Going for it on fourth down, Brennan had Christian Termine a step ahead of the defense in the end zone, but the pass sailed too far.
The Somers offense took over at its own 20, and Luke Balancia made sure the Tuskers didn't stay there long. The running back took the handoff, got outside and was brought down at the 40.
After a keeper went nowhere, Iglesias hit Violante with a screen pass for 6 yards, setting up a fourth consecutive third-down conversion. Iglesias kept the ball to the left, moving Somers just past midfield.
Not done, Iglesias stayed the course on the left and added another 25 yards on the ground.
Weary legs or not, Somers went aerial on second-and-10, but the play still required some fancy footwork.
First, Iglesias eluded a blitzing Tommy Michello. Forced to his right, the quarterback pulled up with another Viking defender in his face and let the ball fly.
Violante came down with the touchdown pass and gave credit to his quarterback.
“He extends plays,” said the receiver.
Somers led 20-0 with 11:11 remaining in the second quarter.
In response, one first down for Clarkstown South wasn't nearly enough, and Somers got the ball back.
With 6:55 left in the half, the Tuskers continued their stampede.
On second-and-9, Iglesias threw toward the left sideline, where Maurolo hauled in a pass for a 30-yard gain to the Vikings' 40.
Somers then gladly accepted a little help when a third-and-12 pass fell incomplete.
A roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Tuskers a first down, and a play later, D’Ippolito appeared ready for an encore. The junior caught a screen pass on the left and eluded the defense on his way to the end zone.
Unfortunately, a holding penalty negated his second touchdown.
No problem. Iglesias found Maurolo on the opposite side for another touchdown and a 27-0 lead.
D’Ippolito was quick to praise his quarterback.
“He makes the plays game in and game out,” said the receiver.
With the writing seemingly on the wall, the final chapter would have to wait until after intermission.
Clarkstown South opened the second half with a four-minute drive to the Somers 40, but the Tuskers eventually regained possession.
From there, Somers mostly kept the ball on the ground until Abruzese found himself wide open for a 20-yard touchdown reception.
Two late Clarkstown South touchdowns were far too little, too late, as Somers secured the 34-16 victory.
The win also gave Violante an opportunity to reflect on the difference between last year's disappointment and this year's triumph.
“We were definitely hard pressed to get better every single week, and it showed in games,” he said.
With another game awaiting the Tuskers on Friday in Mahopac, Violante kept his team's focus simple.
“We just want to get the job done,” he concluded.
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