Somers football cruises past Carmel, 35-0

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Friday, Oct. 10, Somers hosted Carmel under a perfect fall sky, and the calm of the night was quickly shattered by a lightning-fast kickoff return by Jackson Whipple. The Tusker immediately set the tone with a 75-yard dash to the end zone, and four touchdowns later, Somers rolled to a 35-0 victory.

Carmel’s first possession lasted just 13 seconds, ending with an incomplete pass and two tackles from Joey Fink. Somers stumbled on their initial drive, but Carmel briefly regained momentum when Miles Parchen crossed midfield on a reception. A personal foul added drama, but Somers’ defense reasserted itself, with Jaron Faulkner stopping Franke DeGrazio at the line and strong secondary coverage forcing two incompletions.

Somers started their next drive from their three-yard line, showing no signs of being hemmed in. Jayden Abruzese opened up space to the seven-yard line, then Dean Palazzolo turned the corner for a first down at the 27. Tristan Iglesias pushed the offense to the 35, and Palazzolo made a leaping catch on a perfect loft from his quarterback to put Somers up 14-0.

Carmel briefly rallied when Parchen made a leaping sideline grab, but the Rams were soon forced to punt, returning control to Somers. After a Somers turnover at midfield gave Carmel a glimmer of hope, the Tuskers quickly regained command. Abruzese’s 18-yard run to midfield and Iglesias’ precise pass to Dylan Jimenez set up another score. Abruzese capped the drive with three runs into the end zone, extending the lead to 21-0.

With 4:08 left in the half, Carmel could only punt. Palazzolo took the ball and ran it all the way to the Carmel sideline before cutting across the field. Luke Balancia finished the play with a touchdown, putting Somers ahead 28-0 before halftime.

In the second half, the running clock limited Carmel’s chances. Iglesias connected on a long pass to Dean Monachelli, but the mercy rule ended the game with 6:21 remaining in the third quarter. Somers walked away with a dominant 35-0 victory.