Somers football comes up short against Rye in section title clash

SOMERS, N.Y. - When Gavin Kelly hit a 37-yard field goal with 92 seconds left in the first half, Somers looked on its way to a fifth straight sectional championship. Up 10–0, Rye used the shrinking clock to abandon its earlier conservative game plan. The Garnets struck on two long passes—and their aerial attack was far from finished.

Quarterback Carson Miller connected with Sebastian Lewis, Henry Shoemaker, and Charlie Brady as the top seed piled 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 offered some foreshadowing, even though it lasted only three plays. Amid a crowded secondary, Miller dropped a perfect ball into Lewis, but the receiver couldn’t secure it, ending the drive.

Somers took over without concern. A shanked punt set the Tuskers up at their own 45, and Nate Mitchell immediately went to work. He bulldozed through the Rye front on three straight carries to put Somers 35 yards out. Two plays later, Tristan Iglesias hit Bret Kennedy on the sideline, and Kennedy shook off a defender and sprinted into the end zone at 6:54.

Kelly’s extra point made it 7–0, and Somers’ defense kept Rye from gaining traction. Two short runs and an incompletion forced a Garnets punt.

Starting at their own 35, Somers found tougher sledding. Dean Palazzolo got around the corner to midfield, but an illegal procedure and a backfield tackle of Mitchell stalled the drive.

On Rye’s next chance, the passing game began to heat up. Miller hit Lewis on the sideline for a one-handed grab, and on third-and-14 from the 31, the quarterback found Lewis again for a first down at the Somers 45.

But pressure up front stalled the drive, and Somers regained the ball with ten minutes left in the half. This time, the Rye defense struck back—Miller, switching from quarterback to cornerback, intercepted Iglesias and set the Garnets up at the 44.

Not for long. Somers forced two quick incompletions, and the Tuskers stayed in control. Palazzolo delivered another dazzling punt return, setting the offense up at the 45.

Somers kept things on the ground. A facemask penalty helped move the ball, and an Iglesias keeper brought it to the Rye 32. Two runs by Luke Balancia added nine more before Mitchell barreled ahead for a first down at the 19.

But two no-gain plays put Iglesias’ arm on call. He hit Jackson Whipple for nine yards, then muscled his way to a first down to set up goal-to-go.

An illegal procedure complicated things, and Rye seized the moment. A sack and an incompletion forced Kelly to salvage the drive with a 37-yard field goal, giving Somers what looked like a comfortable postseason trajectory.

Then the game flipped in an instant. Miller found a tightly covered Lewis over the middle, then hit Henry Shoemaker in stride to cut the lead to 10–6.

Palazzolo tried to swing momentum back before halftime. The senior returner sliced through special teams all the way to the Rye 37. But with little time left, Somers was forced into field-goal range at the 15, and Kelly’s kick went wide as the clock expired.

Somers received the second-half kickoff, and Palazzolo again delivered, reaching midfield. But the offense stalled.

The defense looked strong early as well, forcing a third-and-25 from midfield. But Miller found Brady on the sideline, and Brady was dragged down at the 1. Miller punched it in at 8:08. Jaron Faulkner blocked the extra point, keeping it 13–10 and leaving Somers within reach.

Whipple provided the spark this time, fielding the kickoff on a bounce and racing to the Rye 41. Iglesias came up short on a third-and-long scramble, but an unsportsmanlike penalty gave Somers new life. Two plays later, Whipple hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass.

With 5:54 left, Rye didn’t blink. Brady pulled down three passes to the Somers 23, and Miller took over from there, scrambling to set up goal-to-go before plunging in twice for a 20–17 lead.

Whipple delivered another strong return to the 43, but Somers turned the ball over on downs. The Garnets struck again—Brady caught two passes, and Shoemaker took another in stride for a 33-yard touchdown with 32 seconds left in the third.

At 26–17, after Lorenzo D’Ambrosio blocked the extra point, Somers found a brief spark as Palazzolo returned the kickoff and Jayden Abruzese crossed midfield to the 32. But the comeback hopes dimmed when Dean Monachelli took a pass at the 20 and fumbled. Rye showed no mercy. Miller fired downfield to tight end Nigel Strazzini, who rumbled to the 24, and one play later, Miller scored again.

Even with the outcome sealed, Coach DeMatteo praised his team’s effort. “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 word belonged to Kennedy—and it carried more weight than the scoreboard. “I wouldn’t trade them for anything, these are my guys forever,” said the senior.