Sommer's Three TD Catches Sparks Randolph Football To Rebound Win Over Warren Hills

RANDOLPH, NJ- The Randolph football team has had a tough stretch of games recently, as injuries and some bad luck contributed to a three-game losing streak. But behind some clutch defensive plays and a spark on offense from wide receiver Joey Sommer, the Rams righted the ship and defeated Warren Hills 26-21 at home on Friday, October 4.  ( Link to photos at end of story )

“I’m happy for the kids, they put in so much work and losing three straight is hard,” said coach Dave Albano. “But I am genuinely happy for them to get this win.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE FREE TAPINTO.NET NEWSLETTER

Things didn’t start off so well for the Rams as they went three and out and then watched their opponent march down the field for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.

But after that, Randolph quickly found their groove, mounting a good drive of their own that ended with a 10-yard TD pass. QB Jackson Magley found Sommer in the right corner of the end zone, and the junior made a leaping catch, outfighting the defender for the ball. To cut the lead to 7-6 after the missed point after.

The Rams defense then made their first important play when an interception by Mason Wilson gave them the ball back. A few plays later, Magley went back to Sommer, hitting his WR about 20 yards downfield, after which he won the footrace to the end zone for a 55-yard TD and a 12-7 lead.

The defense kept making their mark in the game when Zayne Carswell picked off a pass for the Rams, setting up a drive that ended in a Gideon Ochung TD run. The Rams missed their third PAT and went into the half up 18-7.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TAPINTO APP FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS. AVAILABLE IN THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE PLAY STORE .

“Turnovers are a big part of the game; it’s a simple game, if you turn the ball over or don’t turn it over it makes a big difference,” said Albano. I was happy the way our defense played tonight.”

Early in the third, Warren Hill tightened the game up on one of the more bizarre plays you’ll ever see on a football field. With their backs against the wall and the ball on their own 5-yard line, the Blue Streaks QB bobbled the snap from center and fumbled the attempted hand-off in the backfield.

With the ball bouncing on the ground, the running back accidentally kicked it forward, and it somehow made its way through all the bodies on the line of scrimmage and settled around the 15-yard line. An alert wide receiver scooped it up and outraced three Rams who were chasing him, ultimately scoring a 95-yard TD to cut the lead to 18-14.

“That was a crazy play. I have been doing this for 30 years and I have never seen that,” said Albano. “We had all the momentum and that was an ‘oh no here we go’ moment. When you get on a losing streak you find ways to lose – but the kids battled and didn’t let that happen.”

On the ensuing possession, Warren Hills collected an interception of their own, and the Rams appeared to be in trouble. But the defense stepped up in a big way to stop the negative momentum, with two consecutive tackles for loss by Dean Mangiocavallo and a sack by Patrick Delaney ( who also had an interception in the game ) to force a punt.

“We just went out for that possession and focused on everyone doing our jobs on defense,” said Mangiocavallo, the Rams Captain. “We call it ’eleven as one’ and that is all it takes if everyone does their own job.”

The Rams then got some luck back their way, as the kick was shanked, and the ball ended up bouncing backwards, settling on the 27-yard line. With a short field, they drove to the five, where Wilson tossed an option pass to Sommer for his third score of the game. The Rams finally converted an extra point on a Gideon Ocheung 3-yard run for a 26-14 lead.

Warren Hills would score again to cut the lead to 26-21, but the Rams then mounted a strong drive to run out the clock and secure the win.

“This feels great, we came out strong and had a goal this week to end our losing streak,” said Mangiocavallo. “We didn’t win by as much as we would have liked to, but we know what we have to work on and what we have to fix.”

The Rams play next on Thursday, October 10 at home against Roxbury at 6:00 PM. For link to Game PHOTOS CLICK HERE

For more local news, visit TAPinto.net