Before Carmel even broke the huddle on the first play of the second half, King Mercer knew the game was about to change.
“When I heard the play, I knew it was going to the crib,” the senior tackle said. “I told Tristan (Werlau) ‘Meet me in the end zone.'”
Werlau followed his block from Mercer and the rest of the Carmel line and sprinted 70 yards on the first play of the third quarter, the first of three touchdown runs in the second half to ignite the Rams to a 35-21 comeback win over host Suffern on Friday night.
Suffern had taken a 14-7 lead into halftime, scoring in the first quarter on a Finn Mitchell touchdown grab from Mason Palumbo. After Brian McGrory tied the game for Carmel with a TD pass to Aiden White in the second quarter, Jeph Joseph engineered a scoring drive, which he capped with a 5-yard score.
But it was all Carmel in the second half as Werlau and the Carmel offensive line overpowered a worn down Suffern defense. Tamba Kassoh added a touchdown run and also had a fumble recovery on defense. Aidan Luciana also recovered a fumble in the win.
Media Day 2024: Carmel
Media Day 2024: Suffern