Football: How Somers, Rye state semifinal matchup will make NYSPHSAA tournament history

Josh Thomson, Rockland/Westchester Journal News

November 24, 2021 at 5:01 AM·3 min read

Somers and Rye are set to make history, and not just as the first two Section 1 teams to meet for a trip to the Carrier Dome.

The Section 1 Class A powers will actually become the first high school football teams from the same section to compete head-to-head in the 29-year history of the NYSPHSAA tournament.

They'll decide who plays for a state title Friday at 6 p.m. at Middletown High School.

"I think it's two quality programs that mimic each other in a number of ways," said Rye coach Dino Garr, who has led the program to three state titles. "They've been state champs. We've been state champs. I think it's something that a lot of teams and programs would like to have in Section 1, so for us to play against each other in this game is special."

Scouting reports: See lohud's breakdown of this week's NYSPHSAA state semifinals

Rye's Kian McCarthy (46) intercepts a pass intended for Somers during the Section 1 championship football game at Arlington High School in Freedom Plains Nov. 12, 2021.

Garr has seen it all and certainly seen plenty of Somers. The teams have been Section 1 rivals, often competing for supremacy for the last decade. This will be the fourth time the teams have met since the start of the 2019 season alone.

And they likely would've played last spring had Section 1's playoffs not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They each went 6-0 and won regional championship bowls, setting off a debate about who was better.

"It's been a long tradition of playing in big games," Garr said. "Whether it's a sectional game or a game during the season, it's become a natural rivalry."

Class A regional: Somers takes down Burnt Hills, 48-14

Class A regional: Rye rallied to top Minisink Valley, set up rematch vs. Somers

Section 1 championship: With one last big play, Somers outlasts Rye in classic

Rye, which won Class B state titles in 2005, 2007 and 2008, will play for its first state final appearance in 13 years and first as a Class A school. This is just the second state semifinal ever for Somers, but the Tuskers won the Class A state title in 2016.

Rye's Caden Whaling (24) is hit by a Somers player during the Section 1 championship football game at Arlington High School in Freedom Plains Nov. 12, 2021.

Two weeks ago, both teams entered the Section 1 final undefeated, but it was Somers that rallied to win, 26-23. However, Rye also advanced to the state tournament as an at-large team. The NYSPHSAA voted in 2019 to fill byes in the tournament with at-large teams that finished as sectional runners-up.

The at-large berths will be filled on a seven-year rotation. Section 3 sent additional teams to states in 2019 and this year it was Section 1's turn. Arlington (Class AA) and Haldane (Class D) were both at-large entrants, but both lost regional games last week.

For the undefeated Tuskers, it will be a rematch of their closest game of the season. They had not played a game decided by single-digits since their season opener against Mahopac, but said after beating Rye that they would welcome a potential rematch.

That tune didn't change after routing Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake 48-14 in last week's regional.

"We're all really excited to play them again," Somers senior safety Matt DiFilippo said unflinchingly. "It's going to be a great game."

"Oh yeah, we wanted to play them again," added senior Derek Marcus, a running back and defensive back. "It was fun playing against them last time and it's all about having fun, right?"

Of course, now there's more fun to be had.

The teams have been in different leagues but have still met 11 times since 2010, five of them in the playoffs. Somers will enter Friday night's state semifinal holding a 6-5 edge.

Here's a look back at each of those games:

The rivalry: Somers vs. Rye

Oct. 22, 2010: Somers 35, Rye 14 (Class A quarterfinal)

Sept. 9, 2011: Somers 28, Rye 20

Sept. 15, 2013: Rye 20, Somers 13

Nov. 9, 2013: Somers 20, Rye 7 (Class A championship)

Nov. 1, 2014: Rye 21, Somers 19 (Class A semifinal)

Sept. 4, 2015: Rye 21, Somers 6

Sept. 8, 2017: Somers 21, Rye 14

Sept. 7, 2018: Rye 19, Somers 9

Sept. 20, 2019: Somers 28, Rye 24

Nov. 1, 2019: Rye 28, Somers 20 (Class A semifinal)

Nov. 12, 2021: Somers 26, Rye 23 (Class A championship)

Josh Thomson is the Sports Editor for The Journal News and Poughkeepsie Journal. He can be reached by e-mail at jthomson@lohud.com, on Twitter at @lohudinsider, and on Instagram at @lohudinsider.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Somers, Rye football to make NYSPHSAA state tournament history

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The rivalry: Somers vs. Rye

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