Section 1 football: Palazzolo, Iglesias and Kelly help Somers to win over Harrison

SOMERS – Dean Palazzolo glanced over his left shoulder after bringing the opening kick of the second half back 92 yards for a touchdown.

Nobody was close.

The afterburners were on all day. Palazzolo got into the end zone three times Sunday, leading undefeated Somers to a 40-3 win over Harrison. Clearly, the defending state champions have been hard at work during the week.

Miguel Iglesias threw for three scores and Mason Kelly got in for a pair of touchdowns. An improving defense was buzzing, too.

“We get better every week," Palazzolo said. “We’re always practicing hard. We’re not really focused on the next opponent. We’re more focused on getting the work in and getting better.”

High school football scoreboard: Pleasantville, Bronxville, Rye wins highlight Sunday

The Huskies (4-2) came in on a four-game winning streak and had only surrendered 20 points over that span. The Tuskers (6-0) put 21 points on the board in a matter of 13 minutes.

Mason Kelly found a seam and went 10 yards for a touchdown on Somers’ initial possession. Palazzolo turned a screen pass into a 65-yard TD on the Tuskers’ second possession. Kelly covered 3 yards for a score on Somers’ third possession.

“The same thing happened with us last year,” Palazzolo said. “We kind of started the season a little slow, but we picked it up.”

Harrison only managed one first down during that outburst.

The lone Huskies points came on a 36-yard field goal by Caua Barafoldi with 31.2 seconds to play in the game.

“We’ve definitely improved a lot since the start of the season,” Tuskers senior linebacker Timmy Monahan said. “We need to back up the offense. And in those situations where we maybe let up, we need to stick together and play hard to the end.”

What it means

The distance between the favorites and the underdogs in Class A seems to be growing. Rye and Somers are both unbeaten and they are not allowing teams like Harrison, Yorktown, Mahopac or Brewster to get their hopes up.

“Right now, they are firing on all cylinders,” Harrison coach Jay Ciraco said. “We have two weeks to work on it. So there is a gap right now, but who knows where that gap is in two weeks?”

Play of the game

Harrison did string a nice drive together late in the first half that came to an end in the end zone when Miguel Iglesias intercepted a pass. The defense stiffened before the intermission, too, so there was a measure of optimism.

And then Palazzolo left everyone in a vapor trail on the second-half kickoff.

“I’m a little surprised,” the junior wideout said of the fact that opposing teams even give him a chance. “I’ve had a few good returns this season.”

Game balls

Palazzolo finished with six receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Harrison punted away from him all game.

Iglesias continues to be efficient. He completed 14 of 16 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. He also found Cameron Violante for a 10-yard score.

They said it

“Somers is very dynamic,” Ciraco said. “I mean, they do what they do very, very well. They didn’t do anything different, so hats off, they executed really, really well. They don’t make mistakes. They don’t have snaps go over their heads. They’re a team that plays really solid football.”

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Section 1 football: Palazzolo, Iglesias and Kelly help Somers to win over Harrison