Carey denied by Garden City

Carey was the best team in Nassau Conference II for 10 weeks, but last Saturday belonged to Garden City.

The Trojans held the high-scoring Seahawks to fewer than 150 net yards, intercepted four passes and recorded six sacks on the way to repeating as county champs, 27-6, before a crowd of 3,000 at Hofstra. Pat Berkery scored three touchdowns for Garden City (10-1), which avenged a 26-14 loss at Carey in Week 3 and advanced to meet Bellport in the Long Island Class II title game this Saturday at noon at Stony Brook.

“We picked the wrong time to play our worst game,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “To struggle like we did offensively was frustrating. We didn’t do a whole lot different. We just didn’t do anything as well as we did all year.”

Berkery’s second score, a 62-yard jaunt with 11:33 remaining, came two plays after John Daddino tied the game for the Seahawks (10-1) with a 6-yard run on the opening snap of the fourth quarter. The Trojans never looked backed and tacked on two more touchdowns in the last six minutes. They held Carey to 17 yards rushing on 28 carries.

“We’re always a strong defensive team and we shut down a great offense today,” Garden City head coach Tom Flatley said. “We were shorthanded, but other kids stepped up.”

Carey, seeking its first title since 1978, drove inside the red zone on each of its first two possessions but came away empty. The opening drive featured 24- and 26-yard receptions by Rob Miotto, the latter of which set up first-and-10 at the Garden City 21. The Seahawks gained only one yard over the next four plays and turned the ball over on downs, but they were back in business again after Giuliano Bove picked off quarterback Tom Gordon.

Just 17 yards from the end zone, Carey was still in ideal position to strike first but couldn’t cash in. On fourth-and-4, quarterback Kyle Zahradka (10-for-28, 158 yards) was intercepted by Mark Ellis, who returned the ball to the Garden City 47. Starting with their best field position of the first half, the Trojans took a 6-0 lead on Gordon’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Berkery.

The Seahawks picked off Gordon twice in the third quarter — Miotto and Jesse Milonas did the honors — and started each of the ensuing possessions around midfield. The offense went three-and-out on the first opportunity but drove 51 yards in four plays to pull even on the second. Stephen Marino had back-to-back receptions totaling 48 yards to close the third quarter, and Daddino followed the block of center Drew Zahradka to score five seconds into the fourth.

But it turned out to be the last time Carey’s offense, which averaged 36.8 points in 10 wins, would celebrate.

Berkery regained Garden City’s momentum with the eventual game-winning touchdown 22 seconds after Daddino scored. The Trojans added insurance with 6:17 left on Griffin Eilbeck’s 5-yard touchdown reception, and Berkery scored again for good measure with less than three minutes to go.