Palazzolo Activates in Somers’ 42-20 Win over Mahopac

Yorktown Crushes Lakeland; Carmel Rolls Suffern; Eyes on Valhalla

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

They can call Somers junior RB Dean ‘The Dream’ Palazzolo all they want in Tusker Town, but the shifty All-NYS back has been nothing short of an absolute nightmare for opposing teams through the two-time reigning NYSPHSAA Class A champs’ 3-0 start, which included a 42-20 soul-crushing setback of host Mahopac Friday night.

If speed kills, then register Palazzolo, a virtual #CheatCode, as a bonafide terminator after he scored three touchdowns, including a 95-yard kickoff return to begin the fourth quarter, providing Somers, after the PAT, with a 35-20 advantage… game, set, match!

Tusker senior RB Mason Kelly (18 rushes, 152 yards), a bruiser between the tackles, scored his third TD of the game for the final margin of victory, the Tuskers’ fifth straight over Mahopac and fourth straight in the brotherly-love showdown between head coaches — Anthony DeMatteo, the young sib, of Somers and Dominick DeMatteo of Mahopac.

Palazzolo also snared a second-quarter, nine-yard TD strike from senior QB Miguel Iglesias before hauling in a short swing pass just a step behind Mahopac’s defense, which was all he needed to outrace Mahopac speedster Nate Mascoll for an 80-yard score that put Somers up 14-7 with just 14 seconds to go before half. A deflated Mahopac club responded with a 62-yard Mascoll (13 carries, 152 yards) scoot and score for a 17-14 lead and an upset-minded notion prevailed along the Wolf Pac sideline.

But, aside from Kyle Pinto’s 22-yard field goal, it was all Somers from that point forward, sucking the life out of Mahopac through a series of game-breaking plays.

“The line just stepped it up and we came out running the ball in the second half, which opened up the pass game, and after that we were just flowing,” Palazzolo said.

It wasn’t as simple as that. Palazzolo is flirting with rarified air in the passing game, drawing comparisons to former Somers greats, some of the best to ever ply the trade, including 2012 sensation Joe Festo and 2016 great Matt Pires, two of the finest receivers in Somers history.

“Dean is a combination of Festo and Pires,” Somers Coach Anthony DeMatto said, which is just a sick comparison. “He’s absolutely one of the best pure athletes in Somers history. He plays the ball better in the air than anyone since Festo and Pires. We have seen this in him since he was in the sixth grade. We have been lucky enough to have had a few kids over the years come up and we saw it coming with Dean. He’s definitely one of them.”

He’s on track to crack Messiah Horne’s career TD record, which further fuels the “all-time great” notion should Palazzolo stay true to his form.

Mahopac FB Jack Clifford found paydirt on a fourth-and-one from the two in the first quarter. Later, Somers came up with a huge defensive stand off a fourth-and-one from the Somers 15 with 10 minutes left in the second quarter and Mahopac up 7-0. On the ensuing drive, Iglesias, the Notre Dame lax recruit, found WR Jackson Whipple for 38 yards along the Pac sideline, setting up Palazzolo’s initial score.

Mahopac QB Ethan Dedvukaj’s longest pass of the game went 55 yards to junior Lorenzo Echandy, who got loose along the right-sideline, which led to Pinto’s 23-yard field goal. Enchandy was later hit with a cheap shot but walked off on his own power.

Iglesias hit on 5 of 12 passes for 166 yards, two TD and one INT from Michael Trinchitella, which set up a Mahopac field goal. Palazzolo grabbed two of those throws for 89  yards.

Tuskers Ryan Brush and Logan Ruby sealed the deal on the other end with a pair of late-game interceptions. Justin Sanchez had nine tackles for Mahopac.

CLASS A

FOX LANE QB John Czernyk (6 for 14, 85 yards) rushed for 50 yards and threw touchdown passes to Mac Keller and Owen Baker in the host Foxes 18-13 win over Eastchester Friday. Fox RB Declan Connor rushed for a score and Will Broghammer had an end zone interception, which stalled an Eastchester drive in the first half.

Defensively, Fox Logan Mammola picked off a pass and recovered a fumble. Justin Sarote created a fumble, recovered by Oscar O’Donnell Powell. Rowdy Will Rudolph led the team with 11 tackles and forced a fumble.

“This was an exciting victory over Eastchester,” Fox Lane Coach Andrew Giuliano admitted. “

John Czernyk was solid, hitting Owen Baker to open the scoring with a touchdown reception in the first quarter, and Mac Keller hauled in a beautifully thrown 31-yard pass from Czernyk early in the third to extend the lead.

“Defensively, we felt strong again this week forcing four turnovers,” the coach added. “For the second consecutive week, Will Rudolph led the way. Justin Sarote was disruptive again this week, tallying 10 tackles, two for loss, and forcing a crucial fumble that was recovered by Oscar O’Donnell-Powell to seal the victory in the final minutes as Eastchester was driving. Our two other turnovers came from Will Broghammer with an interception to stop a key Eastchester drive early in the game, and Logan Mammola who elevated to make a great interception in the third.  In addition Mammola made his impact felt all over the field, not just offense and defense, but in the kicking game as well: Punting strong to help flip the field, and kick returning where his 50-yard kickoff return in the third set up the drive that led to Keller’s touchdown.”

Fox Lane (1-1) will visit Somers this Friday (6:30 p.m.) where the Foxes will need to bring their track shoes to keep up.

“Overall, it was a great win in front of a large home crowd,” Giuliano said. “We felt we played very physical in Week 1, we just didn’t execute well enough to win that game versus Mahopac.  We wanted to continue to play a physical brand of football this week and we did while still being able to execute our gameplan. After last year’s quarterfinal loss to Eastchester, this victory was especially sweet for the seniors from that team, many of whom reached out after the game. I’m incredibly proud of our players for their physicality and discipline, and a lot of credit goes to my coaching staff for preparing the guys. We made the big plays when it mattered, and I couldn’t be prouder of the effort.  We have some more tough games ahead, so as much as we love this, we need to turn our focus to next week’s opponent, but we will certainly enjoy this for now.”

As former longtime YORKTOWN Coach Ron Santavicca oft-proclaimed: ‘We own this town!’, and nothing changed Friday when the host Huskers worked a decisive 35-7 win over crosstown rival LAKELAND.

Husker QB Kaden Gonzalez fired two touchdown passes and rushed for another score, adding to a season that has All-NYS written all over it. Husker RB Joseph Hunter (3 carries, 69 yards) also had a rushing TD, and this junior Tyler Galante (over 200 all-purpose yards, including an 85-yard jig-saw punt return for a TD, as emphatically called by Brian Mundy) is special. The kid did a little bit of everything for the state-ranked (No.10) Huskers (3-0). JT Carney added a TD grab for the Huskers, who draw a winnable game against John Jay CR this week should the Huskers have eyes on the prize.

“After a big game and loss to a really good Somers team, there was an emphasis to stay composed and focused,” Gonzalez said. “The coaches did a really good job all week making sure we don’t lose focus. They don’t get enough credit for what happened. Another week to stay focused and not get ahead of ourselves.”

The Hornets fell to 0-3 and hope to end the losing streak against Independent League rival WALTER PANAS (1-1), which took one on the chin in a 34-14 loss to Independent favorite HORACE GREELEY, which has stormed off to a resounding 3-0 record while building a foundation that might find the Quakers back in Class A some time soon enough.

BREWSTER RB Tre Ficara is making a name for himself in the host Bears’ 21-0 whitewashing of John Jay CR on Homecoming Day. Ficara snagged a TD pass from K.J. Dillon and found paydirt three times in all for the Bears (2-1), who have consecutive shutouts heading into Mahopac this Friday (7 pm).

Ficarra finished with 126 yards and two rushing TD’s on 23 carries to with three catches for 60 yards, including a 37-yard  TD grab on the opening possession. Josh Walker chipped in with 52 yards on three carries and Dillon completed 6 of 11 for 89 yards.

Brewster Coach Ed Mulvihill credited OL’s Adrian Martinez, Dylan Welker, Cameron Lamoreaux, Jack McKenney and Luke Johnson for a great game up front.

“Our Offensive line continues to improve with each game,” the coach stated. “The story of the game was the defense, which just pitched their second consecutive shutout.  Marco Parrello, Abe Sanchez, Matt Tempesta, Luke Cunningham and Paul Rienzi were all standouts on defense.  Jack McKenney blocked a punt and had a sack along with Sanchez. John Jay put up 44 last week and we knew they were capable of scoring quickly and in bunches, so to hold them down all game was outstanding.”

CLASS AA

CARMEL graduated chunks of a program that hoisted three straight Section 1 championships, so a step back was only natural; only these state-ranked (No.22) Rams ain’t natural. First-year Coach Brendan Connolly’s club went on the road to Suffern and paved a 35-21 win to improve to 2-0 behind three TD’s from senior halfback Tristan Werlau. the All-NYS senior, who is one of just four returning starters on offense: So long as Werlau is one of them, there’s not a whole lot to worry about.

Suffern was in control in the first half, taking a 14-7 at the break, but the Rams retained solid field position to start the third and Werlau silenced the home crowd with an electrifying 60-yard scamper to paydirt off the first play of the third quarter, 14-all.

“At halftime when we were down none of us panicked,” said Werlau, who raced for 145 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. “We knew we were the more physical team and coming out of the half with the first play being a touchdown really gave us the momentum for the rest of the game.

“A lot of new guys are all picking it up really fast,” he added. “The team came together a lot more this week compared to last.”

Ram QB Brian McGrory (11 for 14, 142 yards) found RB Tamba Kassoh (5 rushes, 48 yards) on third-and-one from the Suffern 38 for 31-yard gain, setting up another Werlau touchdown as the fourth quarter got going, 21-14 Rams.

Kassoh scooped up a fourth-quarter fumble, leading to a Werlau TD from 20 yards out. Ram WR Aidan White (4 catches, 69 yards, TD)  has been special the first two weeks. Thomas Connolly (5 catches, 67 yards) is finding his niche.

The Rams will take on Mamaroneck, which plodded its way to a 20-14 win over North Rockland behind Kieran Jacobson’s three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust mindset (109 yards, TD, 32 carries). Carmel usually handles that and should do so at home Friday.

RCK beat WHITE PLAINS, 40-38.

CLASS B

PLEASANTVILLE is 0-2, whoa! State-ranked (No.20) Pearl River pulled off a 7-3 win in a defensive struggle, which should tell the 2021-22 Section 1 champion Panthers all they need to know: 0-2, yes, but don’t even think about the panic button. It is time to start thinking about winning-out, though, as the Class Piner system has its quirks.

The early-season buzz surrounding HEN HUD has been drowned out amidst a sea of two-straight losses, including Saturday’s 29-6 setback to Sleepy Hollow.

BRIARCLIFF (2-1 overall, 2-0 vs. Section 1) continues to make strides under Coach Skip Stevens, who saw his club post a 24-14 win over Irvington. QB Kyle Vincent hit on 8 of 14 passes for 127 and 2 TD’s to Jordan Celaj and William Burch. RB John Solari rushed 16 times for 100 yards and a score while K Sean Fortunate went 3 for 3 on PAT’s and added a field goal from 27 yards.

We’ll see what Briarcliff is made of when they host a Class C Valhalla club that has lit it up.

CLASS C/D

It’s time to pay some major attention to VALHALLA after its 28-7 win over HALDANE Saturday. Coach Dan DeMatteo’s state-ranked (No.18) Vikings (2-0) saw QB Luke Foisset run for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries to lead the V (2-0) to an emphatic win. WR Tyler Ratti had seven rushes for 56 and one catch for a 32-yard TD from QB Brayden McGinty. Kellen Mahon  was 4/4 on extra points.

“I am very pleased and I enjoy seeing the kids enjoy the success they have earned,” Vikings Coach Dan DeMatteo said. “We have a long way to go, but the kids are working hard and are very coachable!”

Danny Lynch (6 tackles, 4TFL, 1 sack) led the Viking defense. Haldane’s Brody Corless hauled in a 48-yard TD pass from QB David Powlis for the lone Blue Devil (2-1) score.

PUTNAM VALLEY answered the bell after getting knocked out by Independent League foe Horace Greeley in Week 2, doing so in a lopsided 26-7 win over Tuckahoe in Week 3; the theme being versatile Caden Glenn.

The senior RB/WR/LB had a game to remember, rushing for 102 yards and a 98-yard TD on the game’s opening play before adding a 46-yard TD grab from QB Mateo Dobra (5 for 9, 129 yards passing, TD, rushing TD). Glenn, the 6’3”, 211-pounder, who received a scholarship offer from Culver-Stockton last week, added 11 tackles and four pancake blocks. He has been the show at PV.

“Caden had a day for sure,” PV Coach Ryan Elsasser said. “We were moving at full strength the first half of the game and jumped out to a 26-0 lead. Caden took the second play of the game 98 yards on the ground for a touchdown. Mateo Dobra was very composed in the pocket and we had multiple guys making plays on both sides of the ball. Our defense was flying around the field making plays. The team played fast and aggressive out of the gate. Coach (Anthony) Capozzi called a great game and was very dynamic all game.”

Tigers Andre Tarrant (8 tackles, caused fumble, tackle for loss), Nick Mazzola (8 tackles),

Jaden Tesher (10 tackles, 3 for loss) and young Mike Frye (26 yards on 4 carries, 15 yard catch) had their moments.

WESTLAKE defeated Rye Neck, 36-0. Joseph Scarano and his RB mates dazzled behind the blocking of Losito, Nigrelli, Hannon, Celaj, M. Piazza, Miele, Jativa and Campagna. QB Brayden Lingeza continued to connect with WR Nicholas DiNapoli.

Westlake totaled 278 rushing yards as an offense. DiNapoli, Nicholas McClure, John Carlantone, Luca Piazza and Jake Zaino all had rushing touchdowns.

Lingeza had 105 yards of total offense, and the defense limited Rye Neck to under 50 yards of total offense.

 

RAY GALLAGHER/ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER/GIL McMAHON PHOTOS