SOMERVILLE — There were three different comeback stories for Peabody High on Friday night: One, a senior receiver who’d missed the last 20 games with injuries; Two, the senior quarterback returning to his hometown school; Three, and most important, the Tanners rallying from a third quarter deficit.
Peabody scored the last four touchdowns of the night to sprint past Somerville, 40-16, at Dilboy Stadium. A quick two touchdown lead had the visitors feeling good, but the Highlanders took advantage of a fumbled kickoff to grab a three point lead (16-13) early in the third quarter.
The Tanners quickly sent a message that this year’s team won’t wilt when tested. Senior Aniel Espinal, who hadn’t played since his sophomore season due to various injuries, took the next kickoff back 85 yards to set up the go-ahead score and Peabody never looked back.
“It’s the perfect comeback story, I’d say, for me and for the team,” said Espinal, who caught a 37-yard touchdown pass through double coverage (and a defensive pass interference flag that was declined) for his first varsity score in the opening quarter.
Dominik Mercier, the senior quarterback who played his first game in Tanner blue after transferring home from Malden Catholic, had a sublime evening. He accounted for five total touchdowns, throwing scoring strikes to captain Mark Mendonca (twice), Espinal and sophomore Ryan Levesque and running for another.
“Coach lit a fire under us and we knew what we had to do,” said Mercier, who threw for 120 yards and ran for 108 more. “We had to keep the intensity up and we couldn’t let our heads hang when a few plays went (Somerville’s) way. We know what kind of team we have, we know we can win games and we had to play with that confidence.”
The defensive line was dominant for the Tanners, which helped hold Somerville (0-1) at bay offensively. Senior captain Matt Dresser and sophomore Zaiden Nazaire did an excellent job setting both edges and senior James Hooper did the same. That sent Highlander ball carriers into the teeth of the defense, where sophomore middle linebacker Stylz Bonaventure had a monster second half in his first varsity start.
“We had some young guys really grow up over the course of this game: Stylz, Ryan Leveque, James Morgan, Ryan Maguire,” Peabody head coach Mark Bettencourt noted. “I mention the sophomore because for the juniors and seniors, it’s expected. To get that from younger players is huge for us.”
Coming down with three interceptions was also immense for the Tanners and allowed them to win the turnover battle by a 4-2 margin. Senior captain Brian Collins Dixon picked off a pass on the opening drive, Morgan had one in the third quarter and senior captain Jack Smith took one back 80 yards for the game’s final touchdown in the fourth.
“From last year, we know what it’s like to get our butts kicked for four quarters,” said Smith, referring to the team’s 0-9 start to the 2025 season. “It’s our senior year and we knew we had to come out hot and not let it get away. It was ‘If they score, we score.’ That’s how it had to be.”
The longest play of the night was a 53-yard run up the gut by Mercier, who showed off his strong arm on the run on three of his TD passes by rolling out of the pocket and then throwing darts.
“There were times I wanted to run, but our receivers are so great at creating separation that when they break I know I have to throw it,” said Mercier, who completed his first six passes to six different receivers.
Shifty Somerville receiver Ryan Louis scored both of his team’s touchdowns on wildcat runs of 48 yards (in the second quarter) and 21 yards (in the third). The Highlanders only completed one pass, however, and it went for a loss of yards thanks to sure tackling by Smith.
It was a long game with more than 20 accepted penalties costing the two teams a combined 200 yards. Joe Fagundes, Hooper, Bonaventure (two) and Nazaire all had tackles-for-loss for Peabody while Jameson Cejour and Mark Bettencourt Jr. shared a sack. Peabody outgained Somerville 233-216 in earning its first victory at Dilboy Stadium since 2014 and extending their all-time series lead to 33-7.
“This is my 14th season and the opener is the one that always gives me the most anxiety, even more than playoff or rivalry games,” said head coach Bettencourt. “I liked the way we finished the game. We also have plenty of things we can clean up.”
Peabody 40, Somerville 16
at Dilboy Stadium, Somerville
Peabody (1-0);7;6;14;13;40
Somerville (0-1);0;8;8;0;16
Scoring summary
P — Aniel Espinal 37 pass from Dominick Mercier (Jake Marcotullio kick)
P — Ryan Levesque 18 pass from Mercier (kick failed)
S — Ryan Louis 48 run (Louis rush)
S — Louis 21 run (Marcos Pineda rush)
P — Mark Mendonca 2 pass from Mercier (Marcotullio kick)
P — Mendonca 9 pass from Mercier (Marcotullio kick)
P — Mercier 2 run (Marcotullio kick)
P — Jack Smith 80 interception return (kick failed)
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Peabody — Dominik Mercier 10-108, Drake Dixon 5-10, Joe Fagundes 3-6; Somerville — Ryan Louis 8-78, Marcus Pineda 12-69, Ares Osiris 6-38, Kenny Alphonse 3-23, Gio Fiore 6-9, Ousman Kaba 1-2.
PASSING: Peabody — Mercier 10-17-120-4-0; Somerville — Osiris 1-12-(-3)-0-3.
RECEIVING: Peabody — Aniel Espinal 1-37, Ryan Levesque 3-33, Ty Lomasney 1-24, Mark Mendonca 3-15, Ryan Maguire 1-6, Jack Smith 1-3; Somerville — Louis 1-(-3).