Somers Offense Gets Ratings: Joe Festo Show Blows Up; Brewster Remains Unbeaten; Lakeland vs. Panas a War in Waiting
Unbeaten, state-ranked (No.15) Somers (6-0) wasted no time putting up 14 points on visiting Walter Panas last Friday night, doing so with blink-quick authority, but the Panthers were hanging around for just a shade over a quarter before the Tuskers went on a run that did not conclude until the scoreboard read Somers 41, Panas 14 on senior night at Somers.
So much for Panas (4-2) being a legitimate Class A title contender, but, on the other hand, Somers is quite the story this season. The Tuskers secured the 298th victory in Coach Tony DeMatteo’s illustrious career when the combination of QB John Decker and WR Joe Festo went berserk, hitting on a pair of long TD strikes, wrapped around a 65-yard Festo punt return to the house. Yeah, the Joe Festo show – three TDs and all — was all the rave.
“Decker and I were unstoppable tonight,” said Festo, who reeled in TD snags of 45 and 27 yards. “It’s awesome to have a quarterback like him. We have the best chemistry anyone can ask for, and not only that; he is like my best friend, so that helps our chemistry a lot. We have Eastchester next week, but we are mostly focusing on the playoffs and preparing for John Jay, Harrison and some tough teams we are likely to face in the weeks ahead.”
Somers senior FB Joe Lombardo looked to be in good health for the first time all season and he busted out with a huge offensive performance, leading the Somers offense with 116 rushing yards rushing and one touchdown on nine eruptive carries. Somers RB Stefano Bicknese went for 113 yards on just 11 carries and a touchdown, his 13th of the year. Decker went 4-of-6 through the air, hitting Festo for 113 yards and two scores.
Somers boss Tony Dematteo chalked up his 298th career win as a Section 1 head coach. The Tuskers face Eastchester next week, and should get Dematteo his 300th win in the first game of the playoffs, which won’t be easy if the Tuskers get the No.1 seed from League II-B and John Jay gets the No.4 in II-A.
Panas junior RB John Brophy had 67 yards and looked sharp in doing so while RB James Jackson added a 1-yard touchdown. Anthony Conti took a 68-yard return for a score, but it was far too little too late for a Panas team that didn’t tackle very well from the middle of the second quarter on.
The Panthers need to regroup quickly as they take on arch-rival Lakeland in Week 7; in the biggest Lakeland vs. Panas game in a decade.
Week 6 NWE/Putnam Examiner Grid Poll
No.1 SOMERS – As good as Brewster has looked this season, it’s state-ranked (No.15) Somers (6-0) that looks like the top team in League II-B. Depth, size, speed, intelligence (though they lacked some of that vs. Panas #penalties)… Somers has as much or more than anyone in Class A. From where does this bad blood with Panas stem?
No.2 BREWSTER – The Bears (6-0) remain one of three Class A unbeaten (state-ranked No.2 Harrison, Somers), but this remaining game at Gorton is going to determine whether or not the Bears hold on to the No.1 seed or drop down considerably. One scenario we can envision is No.1 (A-2) Brewster vs. No.4 (A-1) John Jay, which is the last team any No.1 seed in Class A wants to see. John Jay has no depth, so teams like Harrison and Sleepy have worn them down, but they remain the most explosive team we’ve seen this season. If Jay commits to defense down the stretch, I can see a semifinal scenario playing out where Somers host Jay, unless the Brewster defense is as good as advertised.
No.3 YORKTOWN – Currently ranked No.6 in League A-2, I don’t see a realistic scenario where the Huskers (4-2) qualify for the post season, which is a shame because I believe they are better than No.3 seed Port Chester and No.4 Saunders. Huskers need Nyack to knock off No.5 Poughkeepsie, which is a reach.
No.4 HEN HUD – Sailors (4-2) win and they are in. Not many people figured the fate of so many Class A teams would lie in the hands of Hen Hud at Pearl River in Week 7, but this is Piner system at its finest (or worst, depending on who you ask). Nonetheless, Sailors have had a magical year, restoring some pride along the way and building a foundation for the future. A loss to Pearl River would certainly quell some of the enthusiasm and toss a monkey wrench into Class A playoff scenario. The Pirates (1-4) have faced much tougher competition (John Jay, Harrison and Rye), so they are licking their chops at the prospect of that monkey wrench.
No.5 LAKELAND – Lakeland (4-2), currently the No.7 seed in League II-A, can once again rain on Panas’ parade, and we believe that their three punishing runners – Jimmy Flaherty, Anthony Kaplan and sophomore Anthony Capozzi – are going to be too much for the Panthers to contain. “The plan of attack is to just come out with a lot of energy and play fast and hard,” Bryant-boud OL/DL Connor O’Neill said.
Unfortunately, it might not matter for Lakeland, which seemingly cannot nudge past John Jay to get to No.4 in the league. Still, you’re playing for a Bowl Berth if nothing else.
No.6 OSSINING – The Pride (2-4), currently ranked No.10 in A-II, had Yorktown and Poughkeepsie on the ropes and are probably the best two-win team in Section 1.
No.7 PANAS – The Panthers (4-2), currently the No.5 seed in A-I, control their own playoff destiny. A win over Lakeland this Friday gets them in and can eradicate nearly a decade of futility, but they better figure out a way to tackle better than they did from the second quarter on against Somers or Lakeland WILL take them to task.
No.8 PEEKSKILL — Peekskill 21-8 win over Riverside snapped a 32-game losing streak, the second-longest current streak in the state. The Red Devs (1-5) can thank RB Ramon Searight for that. The son of likeable Tyrone scored on jaunts of 45 and 72 yards, with 10 carries for 132 yards.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.