Ramapo football scores on incredible final play to pull off epic win over Somers
FRANKLIN LAKES — Gavin Taylor spent the majority of Friday night’s football game at Drew Gibbs Field playing defensive back.
Yet it was where he lined up for the final play that he’ll remember forever.
The senior helped Ramapo score bragging rights for New Jersey by catching a 39-yard touchdown from Landon DePrima as time expired. That lifted the Raiders past Somers, 38-34, sending the defending NYSPHSAA Class A champion to 0-1.
Taylor went in at receiver for the final two snaps after Zach Schnorrbusch (12 catches, 132 yards, 3 TD) cramped up. But by that time, the Garden State vs. Empire Stare drama already had ramped up considerably.
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The Tuskers took a 34-26 lead with 1:46 remaining on Mason Kelly’s third TD of the game, an 8-yard run. The Raiders (1-0) appeared to yield the score in order to conserve time, then prevented a two-point try that would have put it out of reach.
Although Ramapo missed a tying two-point try after a touchdown with 19 seconds to go, Kenton Grosfelt recovered the ensuing onside kick at the Somers 49. Taylor sent the home crowd home happy three plays later.
"I knew I had to get in the end zone, and I just laid out for it and hauled it in," Taylor said. "We just never gave up, we kept our heads in it and we came out on top."
What it means
The Ramapo win capped a 3-0 day for New Jersey against its neighbor to the north/east, following a Bogota victory at Capital Prep and Don Bosco's rout of Erasmus Hall.
"New York football's got good players," Raiders coach Mike DeFazio said. "Those are big, physical kids, and those are great coaches. So, it was a great contest."
Somers still has a streak of 25 straight wins against Section 1 opponents and, despite the final score, flexed its defensive muscles with five sacks. But Ramapo made the stops when it mattered.
In or out?
Video of the play taken by NorthJersey.com appears to show Taylor's knee hitting the ground just before he landed in the end zone. Afterward, a fan showed Somers coach Anthony DeMatteo a still photo of the same instance, but DeMatteo took it in stride.
"I don't think I'm at liberty to make that call, I was at the 25-yard," he said. "My knee-jerk reaction was that he was down. But there was a referee that was there who had a better view than me, and he made the call, and we must respect that."
Key plays
Schnorrbusch made an interception to halt a Somers drive in the first half, and late in the fourth quarter, he tracked down Dean Palazzolo after an 84-yard reverse run to make a tackle at the 1-yard line.
"It's about who wants it more," Schnorrbusch said. "I wanted it more."
Two plays later, Ramapo senior James Magerko came up with his second takeaway by falling on a fumbled snap. Although the Raiders' ensuing drive stalled, Schnorrbusch provided another emotional lift with a 35-yard kick return following the Tuskers' final score.
By the numbers
► DePrima completed 33-of-47 passes for 400 yards and 6 touchdowns, while accounting for all 57 of Ramapo's rushing yards on 13 carries (three running back carries netted 0 yards).
► Kelly (28 carries, 131 yards) and Palazzolo (3 for 152) keyed a Somers ground game that churned out 311 yards on 45 runs, but the Tuskers threw for just 115 yards and were intercepted twice.
► Taylor finished with two catches for 55 yards, one kick return for 18 yards and 4 tackles on defense.
They said it
"Everything we did, good and bad, is a reflection of our practices. So, we've had some things that we've struggled with in practice, and you saw them really hurt us in the game. But things we've done very well in practice, like two-minute execution drill that we really worked on, the kids did a great job with it." − DeFazio
"This is a Week 0 game [for New York], this has no bearing on our outcome for our season. We still fell really positive about our league play and what we can do in our own section and state. I think this was tremendous for New York football to come here and compete the way that we did in front of this crowd, against this tremendous program. I'm really proud of our guys and of our program." − DeMatteo
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ramapo NJ football edges Somers on incredible final play
