Reporter: Joseph Gierer
MAHOPAC, N.Y. — Somers went on the road for the third straight week Friday night to face its rival Mahopac High School. The Tuskers delivered another dominant performance, winning 35-7.
The stands were packed as always with fans of both sides, one looking for its first win and the other looking to stay perfect. In the end, it was all smiles for the Somers faithful. This Tuskers team has a clear identity three weeks into its season and dominated the Indians in the same way they did Brewster last week: lockdown defense and a stellar ground attack.
Somers’ offense attacked from the opening snap and produced big play after big play for the duration of the game, with a majority of that coming on the ground. The Tuskers rushed for over 350 yards as a team and scored all five touchdowns this way. Quarterback Tristan Iglesias had another outstanding showing running the football, carrying three touchdowns, but his efforts wouldn’t be possible without the work of his dynamic backfield. Lead back Luke Balancia carried 16 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns, while his counterpart Jaden Abruzese added over 100 yards of his own. A third running back, Christopher Blackman, carried for more than 50 yards on just the last series of the game alone before kneeling the clock out.
Somers’ defense had another superb outing itself, blanking the Indians until the fourth quarter. The first six drives for the Indians resulted in no points, ending in punts or turnovers. The defensive line for the Tuskers made Indians quarterback Ethan Dedvukaj uncomfortable and inefficient all night, sacking him twice in the process. Each big play that Mahopac had seemed to be followed immediately with a turnover. The star on this side for the Tuskers was defensive back Troy Rossi, who finished the night with an interception and fumble recovery to his name.
The Tuskers played objectively great, but there are certainly areas to clean up moving forward. Iglesias threw two interceptions of his own on passes forced downfield to multiple defenders. The Tuskers also had seven flags on the night, six of which came on offense. Mahopac was unable to capitalize on these mistakes, but as the schedule gets tougher, these unforced errors are something Somers is going to have to avoid.
The so-far “road warriors” will finally return to base next week, as Somers welcomes Peekskill for their home opener Sept. 25. The kickoff will be at 7 p.m.
