Somers Rolls out Red Carpet for Coach D; Yorktown Bold in Victory

Byram Bounces Put Valley; Hen Hud Sails to Win

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

The old stars and some new kahunas were out in force in Week Zero in and about the Section 1 grid circuit. SOMERS had it going on while the Tuskers christened the newly-minted Tony DeMatteo Stadium in Friday’s 40-35 victory over New Jersey powerhouse Ramapo.

Somers lit it up with old stars – QB Miguel Iglesias (14 of 22 passes, 270 yards, 3 TDs; 11 carries, 51 yards, TD) and RBs Dean Palazollo (8 grabs, 174 yards, 2 TDs) and Mason Kelly (96 yards, 2 TDs, 26 carries).

YORKTOWN did so with a combination of new and old starpower in its 26-8 humbling of visiting Harrison, including veteran QB Kaden Gonzalez (12 of 17 passing for 243 yards, 4 TD passes) and upstart WR Tyler Galante (8 catches for 163 yards, 3 TDs), who connected on three TD passes. Brady McEnroe (2 grabs) added a TD catch and 59 yards.

BYRAM HILLS introduced us to WR/DB Tyler Marescot, who went bonkers in the Bobcats’ 22-21 win over visiting Putnam Valley Saturday. Marescot’s speed was too much for PV as the senior torched the Tigers for three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Marescot added four catches for 70 yards and a score. He also had a six-yard rushing touchdown and a fumble recovery for a score.

In it’s 42-14 win over Hastings, HEN HUD announced the presence of emerging QB Joey Abboud (5/9 98 yards passing, 2 TD; 11 rushes for 68 yards, 2 TD) and RB Justin Parkes (10 rushes 131 yards, 2 TD, 2 catches for 40 yards, two 2-point conversions).

“The start of the season has been incredibly exciting for us,” Abboud admitted. “The team is thrilled with how things went in the first game. We’ve been putting in a lot of hard work, and it’s great to see it pay off. The buzz and energy around the team is huge, and we’re just focused on keeping that momentum going as the season progresses.”

Dawgs were running wild everywhere, but Somers is where we start. The two-time defending NYSPHSAA Class A champs were every bit as good as advertised in the first half, while holding on for dear life in the second.

“Yeah, we were definitely feeling very good going into the game,” All-NYS Palazzolo said about Ramapo, which defeated Somers in last year’s season opener on some serious home cooking #BadOfficiating. “Everyone had a great practice week and we locked in. We have been thinking about this game for almost a year and everyone was preparing for it. It was all around a great game for us.”

Notre Dame lax recruit Iglesias, who took over under center for Mac Sullivan, admitted there’s work to do, despite the fine outcome and the pregame festivities surrounding the DeMatteo family, who have built a dynasty at Somers since the start of the new millennium, winning three state titles and seven sectional crowns over the last 13 years.

“It was a great game and we had a lot of fun out there,” Iglesias said. “There’s definitely stuff to tighten up, but that’s expected in a week zero game, but we were definitely happy after the game.”

Yorktown’s win over Harrison signals one thing for sure; the Huskers are legit, and the combination of Gonzalez to Galante is for real.

“I mean Tyler’s been a stud since last year, but has been behind the athletes we had last year,” said Gonzo, a two-sport (hoops) stud at the Y. “It feels good to win like that, but we have to stay focused for a long season.”

Husker Coach Pantelis Ypsilantis liked what he saw between the two talented skill players.

“They have built chemistry over the offseason and they are big-time players,” he said. “The game has slowed down for Kaden and he is very much seeing the field.”

MAHOPAC turned over a new leaf, taking the grid for the first time in five years without a DeMatteo – Anthony or DJ – under center, so Coach Dominick DeMatteo unleashed senior RB Jack Clifford in the new star category. Cliff went for 102 yards on 13 carries, including a TD trot and a 2-point conversion, while recovering a fumble on defense. Junior WR Lorenzo Enchandy added a 13-yard TD in the 17-7 win over Averill Park (Section 2). QB Ryan Sacco completed 3 of 5 passes for 47 yards and one TD. RB Nate Mascoll rushed for 48 yards and blocked a punt.

CLASS A

RB Robbie Policastro gained 122 yards on 12 carries in LAKELAND’s 35-10 loss to host Clarkstown South.

 

CLASS B

Byram Hills was in a dogfight with Class C Put Valley, who looked like a team that might challenge in 2024 should they clean up some major mistakes that cost them a road win. Michael Bardoni picked off two passes for the Bobcats, who had no answer for Tiger senior WR/RB Caden Glenn, who scored all three PV touchdowns. Byram QB Aidan Padley fired one TD pass to Marescot, but the Tigers heavily outgained Byram Hills on offense but turned the ball over repeatedly (four times) and missed on two field goal attempts, including a game-winning shot.

“It was a great game,” PV Coach Ryan Elsasser said. “We fell to a tough Byram Hills team in a game that could have gone anyway. The kids played tough. It was a punch-for-punch type of game, but we made one too many mistakes. The game came down to a field goal and we missed slightly left. We had a few guys competing for spots and we gave them opportunities to win those spots this week and saw some really good things. We had cracks. We had too many turnovers and some easy mistakes to fix that led to those turnovers. Our offense was moving well.

“We were aggressive in the trenches like we anticipated,” he added. “Nick Mazzola led the team in tackles with 12 followed by Dylan Tucker with seven, including a tackle for loss. We had a scoop and score against us and one mistake in coverage that led to a TD. Get rid of those few mistakes and that game looks very different. We threw a lot of new stuff at these guys in a short period of time and expected some of those things. We know what we need to correct and look forward to getting to work on them.”

Byram Coach Simon Berk was prepared for a tough foe.

“As a week zero game in place of a scrimmage, we wanted an opponent that would test our team and prepare us for a physical Pelham team we face in our league opener September 13.  PV was well prepared and I believe they will be a team to beat in Class C,” Berk said

“Tyler Marescot helped spur action in all phases on Saturday and helped secure a hard fought win over Putnam Valley,” he added. “Aidan Padley impressed in his first start under pressure from a talented PV defensive unit.  The Bobcats struggled to have consistency on offense but made some timely plays when it mattered most.  Defensively, the rushing attack of PV was solid.  Backs # 10 & 11 were tough to bring down and ran well.  #60 on PV was a force on both sides of the ball.”

 

CLASS D

HALDANE RB Brady Corless ignited a 26-6 win over Dover with 108 yards and two touchdowns on six splendid jaunts.

 

INDEPENDENT LEAGUE

GREELEY QB Julian Asch fired one score and ran for another to lead the Quakers to a 34-7 win over Port Chester. Quaker WR Jameson Blakeslee, an All-NYS lax pair, caught a pair of TD strikes. Jason Kim and Ben Weinstein each found paydirt.

 

ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ PHOTOS