SOMERS, N.Y. - After a sluggish performance against Clarkstown North the previous week, Somers knew it needed a stronger start in its sectional semifinal matchup against Harrison on Friday, Nov. 6.
“We had to come out hot,” said quarterback Tristan Iglesias.
A defensive stop on Harrison’s opening possession, followed by a Somers touchdown, provided just that. But Harrison answered right back, and the Tuskers knew they couldn’t afford to let up.
Fortunately, Luke Balancia had a little magic up his sleeve.
“He just disappears. Where is this kid?” Carmelo Gioffre said of Balancia’s elusive 70-yard run, describing the view from the line of scrimmage.
A 1-yard touchdown run on the next play gave Somers the lead for good, and the Tuskers rode that momentum to a 46-21 victory.
Harrison managed just five yards on three plays to open the game, bringing the Somers offense onto the field.
Starting at their own 12, the Tuskers immediately established their running game. Two carries by Abruzese and another by Balancia moved the ball to the 36 for a first down.
Then Cam Violante gave the crowd something to cheer about. Starting to the left, he caught a pass across the middle, cut toward the sideline and wasn't brought down until he reached the Harrison 33.
Somers continued moving when Iglesias connected with Chris D’Ippolito for a 12-yard gain. Iglesias then ran eight yards to the 13 before lofting a pass to Violante in the right corner of the end zone. The receiver came down with the touchdown despite defensive pass interference.
Somers led 6-0 after the missed extra point, but Harrison had a dangerous weapon of its own.
“I have the utmost respect for him. He’s the toughest kid we’ve had to tackle all year,” Gioffre said of Harrison running back Jason Crupi.
Crupi proved it on the ensuing possession, helping move the Huskies downfield before scoring from the 1-yard line out of the wildcat formation.
Harrison’s lead lasted just 23 seconds.
Balancia broke outside on first down, refused to go down along the sideline and cut back across the field with defenders in pursuit. His 70-yard run ended at the 1, but Iglesias finished the job on the next play to put Somers ahead 13-7.
After Harrison punted, Somers took over at its own 11. Balancia quickly gave the Tuskers some breathing room with a 27-yard run.
Iglesias added nine yards, and Abruzese picked up the first down across midfield. Following an incompletion, Iglesias connected with Violante over the middle before Balancia broke outside for another 12 yards.
With a first down at the Harrison 22, Abruzese was dropped for a 2-yard loss. But the setback didn't faze Iglesias, who found Violante near the goal line for another touchdown.
“It was a jump ball,” Violante said. “I had to go get it, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Somers led 19-7 with 2:14 remaining in the half, but Harrison threatened to answer.
A completion from Haynes to Cole Presto moved the Huskies to the 47, and a tough 9-yard run by Crupi kept the drive alive. However, an incompletion eventually forced a fourth down.
Harrison attempted a quick kick out of the shotgun, but Cole Kennedy got a hand on the ball for the block.
Somers recovered at the 40 with 1:25 remaining and nearly added another touchdown before halftime.
With 20 seconds left, Iglesias escaped a collapsing pocket and found Violante at the 1-yard line. But the Harrison defense stood firm, stopping two runs to preserve the 19-7 score at halftime.
The goal-line stand did little to shift the momentum.
Early in the second half, Harry Brelesky broke through the Harrison formation and gave Somers possession at the 40.
Balancia and Abruzese went right back to work, combining for two punishing runs that moved the Tuskers to the Harrison 30.
“They make people miss,” Iglesias said of the running backs.
Chris Fink wasn't about to speculate on what it felt like to tackle the duo.
“You have to ask Harrison,” he said.
Somers eventually faced a third-and-8, but Iglesias kept the drive alive with a completion over the middle to Evan Maurolo.
A holding penalty wiped out a 13-yard touchdown run by Abruzese and pushed Somers back to the 22. Iglesias responded on the next play, threading a pass between two defenders to Maurolo for the touchdown.
“The pass blocking is where we had them,” Fink said.
With 6:13 remaining in the third quarter, Somers held a commanding 25-7 lead.
Harrison went nowhere on its next three plays and attempted a fake punt. The Tuskers weren't fooled, and an incomplete pass gave Somers possession at the Harrison 40.
Iglesias quickly made the Huskies pay.
He kept the ball for a run to the 30 before connecting with Maurolo for nine yards. On third down, the quarterback took matters into his own hands, bursting through the line for another touchdown and a 32-7 advantage.
Crupi wasn't ready to surrender.
Starting at the Harrison 30, he broke through the line on the first play from scrimmage, raced into the open field and even hurdled a Somers defender to breathe life into the Huskies' offense.
But Somers had another answer.
After Abruzese returned a squib kick to the Somers 40 and several short runs moved the ball to midfield, Iglesias took over.
He opened with a quarterback draw to the Harrison 35. Then, facing fourth-and-4, he dropped back to pass before taking off again.
The senior was finally stopped at the 1-yard line, but he scored on the next play to put the game further out of reach.
Despite his impressive performance, Iglesias was quick to credit the players blocking for him as Somers prepared to face Clarkstown South in the Section 1 championship game.
“The line, they’re phenomenal,” Iglesias said. “You see guys making plays, and the skill guys get the credit for it. But none of it happens without them.”
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