Tuskers clamp down in shutout win over Carmel

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Wednesday, April 15, Somers welcomed Carmel to the high school, looking to climb above the .500 mark. While the Tuskers moved the ball effectively, they struggled to break through on offense. Fortunately, the defense more than made up the difference.

Repeated flag pulls by Natalie D’Ippolito kept Carmel at bay, and a pick-six by Khloe Harris accounted for all the scoring in a 6-0 Somers victory.

D’Ippolito and Harris made their presence felt immediately, recording tackles on the opening series. Carmel managed to reach the 20-yard line for a first down and followed with a long pass play, but Angela Roane limited the damage with a stop at the 32.

That would be as far as the Rams would go. D’Ippolito recorded a sack and another tackle, forcing Carmel back to the air. This time, Olivia Wiegand stepped in front of the pass and came away with an interception.

With possession, Harris offered a glimpse of what was to come. Facing third-and-10, she reached high to haul in a pass from Ava Schmidberger, securing a first down at the Carmel 29.

The drive stalled, however, and Carmel took over at its own 11-yard line. Another tackle by D’Ippolito and an incompletion quickly gave Somers the ball back.

Starting 38 yards out, Somers faced a fourth-and-eight after three plays. Once again, Harris rose to the occasion. Isabella Goulart lofted a pass downfield, and Harris went up to make the catch, giving the Tuskers a first down at the two-yard line.

But Carmel’s defense held firm, and Somers turned the ball over on downs.

Undeterred, the Tuskers stayed focused. On the next series, D’Ippolito stripped the ball on first down, and Harris once again took flight—this time coming down with the ball in open space and racing into the end zone for the game’s only score.

With five minutes left in the first half, Somers continued to apply pressure. Three plays later, the Tuskers regained possession, but Carmel’s defense responded in kind.

As the second half began, Somers’ offense struggled to sustain drives, giving Carmel hope of tying the game. The Rams picked up a first down, but Harris and D’Ippolito quickly shut things down. A sack by D’Ippolito and two tackles by Harris forced another turnover, giving Somers the ball at its own 25.

With the clock running, a 16-yard third-down run by Goulart extended the drive, but Somers was unable to capitalize further as the game moved into the fourth quarter.

The defense remained relentless. After Carmel advanced to the 38-yard line and faced third-and-two, D’Ippolito burst into the backfield for a tackle, and Maggie Mancini prevented a rollout that could have resulted in a first down.

Pinned at their own five-yard line after a punt, Somers lost the field position battle just three plays later, giving Carmel possession only 19 yards from the end zone.

But the short field proved deceptive. Goulart made a stop on first down, and D’Ippolito handled the next two plays, including a tackle on a run to the right and nearly coming up with an interception on third down.

Carmel went back to the air, but Harris soared to break up a pass at the goal line, preserving the lead and giving Somers a chance to run out the clock.

The Tuskers couldn’t quite seal it, however, giving Carmel one final opportunity. Starting at midfield, the Rams’ quarterback appeared to have space on a rollout to the left, but Mancini made a diving flag pull to limit the gain to just two yards.

Mancini followed with another key stop on a reception at the 35, and a final dropped pass secured the 6-0 victory, lifting Somers to 4-3 on the season.