Game/Recruiting Recap: Somers Vs Iona Prep

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1st Quarter</h2>   <p>The night cap as part of a beautiful tournament in Albany. The rain disappeared, the lights were on, the crowd was wild. For the first time all day we had a student section, as Somers brought cheerleaders snd fans. Somers, riding high off a 27 game winning streak, looked to start there season on a high note. On the other sideline, Coach Spagnolo and Iona Prep were tired of hearing about the winning streak. The opening kickoff set the tone for this game, after [player_tooltip player_id='212407' first='Brennen' last='Pressley'] laid a massive hit stick on the Somers returner, setting the tone for the rest of the game. The Gaels forced a quick punt, which started the offensive onslaught for Iona Prep. A steady drive down the field led to the first score of the season with a [player_tooltip player_id='1624499' first='Joe' last='Wolf'] Touchdown. Somers punted after another defensive stop by Iona Prep which led to Iona Prep grabbing a 14-0 lead at the end of the first Quarter. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2nd Quarter </h2>   <p>The first half of the second quarter slowed down the momentum of both teams. Iona Prep and Somers both went back and forth for a few minutes, until midway through the quarter where Iona Prep drove the ball downfield, reaching inside the ten yard-line, where [player_tooltip player_id='735876' first='Julian' last='Guzman'] then tossed a strike to [player_tooltip player_id='1624499' first='Joe' last='Wolf'], to add to the Gaels lead making it 21-0 with a little over six minutes to play. Iona Prep would score again before half time, taking a 28-0 lead into halftime. The lead left the Gaels excited for the second half and you could tell the difference between both sidelines. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/rayteodora1/status/1964475905402949976 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3rd Quarter</h2>   <p>The second half was pretty calm, both teams ran out onto the field, with Iona Prep looking to run up the score, and Somers looking to complete the epic comeback. Both teams, managed to score in the third quarter, with Somers reaching the end zone first. Following a [player_tooltip player_id='1624651' first='Gavin' last='Kelly'] interception, Somers had their best drive of the game, and drove down the field scoring their first points of 2025. Iona Prep answered back fast, eliminating any momentum the Tuskers had. We had our first big man pick six of the year as defensive stud [player_tooltip player_id='741083' first='Joshua' last='Simmons'] made a nice one handed interception and returned it to the end zone, making the score 35-7 at the end of three quarters.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4th Quarter</h2>   <p>The fourth quarter brought fatigue and tiredness from both sidelines, as penalties were consistently committed on both sides of the ball. Following a deep Iona Prep punt, Somers started the drive inside their own five yard line. The very next play the Tuskers snapped the ball and proceeded to take a safety, which made the score 37-7 and ended all hopes on the Somers sideline. Both teams had one more drive each, with Iona Prep bringing in 2028 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1354562' first='Jaydin' last='Jackson'] for a series, and eventually to kneel out the clock. In the final game of a beautiful three game set in Albany, Iona Prep silenced Section One, eliminated the win streak, and took down Somers by a score of 27-7. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Iona Prep Recruiting Recap</h2>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='735876' first='Julian' last='Guzman']</strong>: Guzman showed up and showed out. The Maryland baseball commit, had four touchdowns in the win against Somer. Guzman went 15-22 with 223 yards through the air, along with 69 yards on the ground on 7 carries. Guzman was a key factor in the win on Saturday. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1624499' first='Joe' last='Wolf']</strong>: It was extremely hard not to acknowledge Wolf following the Somers win. The Iona Prep WR, racked up three touchdowns through the air, along with 57 yards on five catches. Wolf was practically wide open the entire night. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='212407' first='Brennen' last='Pressley']</strong>: The 2026 graduate did not stiff the stat sheet, but made his presence felt in other ways. To start the game he laid a nasty hit stick which set the tone for the Iona Prep defense. He was a vocal leader for the Gaels all night helping them with his leadership throughout the game. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402261' first='Eric' last='Pirrello']</strong>: The Second Iona Prep WR featured in this article. While he didn't have a touchdown or an outstanding stat line, he ran clean routes throughout the game, and showcased his blocking ability and ability after the catch. Pirrello finished with a stat line of six catches and 51 yards. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1001144' first='Crew' last='Davis']</strong>: Somers did a nice job of containing the rush attack from [player_tooltip player_id='1001144' first='Crew' last='Davis'] as they allowed him to get 54 yards on 8 carries. Davis showed out in the passing game though as he became a key weapon in the win, racking up 117 yards and a touchdown on five catches. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='741083' first='Joshua' last='Simmons']</strong>: The Junior and 2027 prospect, had a massive big man interception to pair with multiple QB pressures, tackles, and at least two sacks. Simmons was purely dominant during the game. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='741078' first='Mamadee' last='Sangaray']</strong>: Sangaray is one of my top 2027 prospect, and he showcased his skills Saturday night. The stat sheet won't show what anyone at the game saw. Sangaray was a versatile weapon for Iona Prep, lining up on Special Teams, Defense and Offense for multiple snaps. </p>   <p><strong>Other Notable Players</strong>: The entire offensive line for Iona Prep is stacked with playmakers. Despite a shaky game with multiple penalties, each player on the line showed flashes, and had plays that impressed me. The Iona Prep roster is stacked and there are too many players to mention. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Somers Recruiting Recap</h2>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1624651' first='Gavin' last='Kelly']</strong>: Kelly went off against Iona Prep. Off one of the top Quarterbacks in the state, he had two interceptions which gave Somers some momentum during a disappointing game. He also had multiple tackles on the defensive side of the ball. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1206376' first='Dean' last='Palazzolo']</strong>: Palazzolo was non existent in the stat sheet, but was still the number one target for Somers. He impacted the game heavily and consistently had multiple guys watching him, making him a big time factor during this game. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1624524' first='Randolph' last='Peterson']</strong>: The Somers Offensive Line had struggles against the stacked Iona Prep Defense/ Despite the struggles, Peterson held his own on multiple occasions, and impressed me with his hand placement and footwork through the game. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='1624499' first='Joe' last='Wolf']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1624499' first='Joe' last='Wolf'] was easily the choice for MVP of this game, the Iona Prep WR had three touchdowns and was open on almost every passing play. Wolf came into the game looking to prove something this season, and he surely did and the impressive win over Somers. </p>   <p></p>