Repeat county title for Carey

When a football team puts up over 40 points per game, it’s no surprise when its defense is overlooked. Such is the case with Carey, a team that has lit up the scoreboard during its run of 23 straight victories.

The old adage that defense win championships reigned supreme for the Seahawks in last Saturday afternoon’s 21-6 victory over Garden City in the Nassau Conference II title game at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium. It marked the seventh time in eight seasons the teams have met in the playoffs.

Tom Gallant had a pair of sacks to lead Carey’s defense, with Casey Kloepfer and Conor Colasurdo each adding a sack. Quarterback Mike Catanese ran for a pair of touchdowns, and hooked up with Nick Spillane through the air for another to pace the offense.

With the win, the Seahawks, who improved to 11-0, captured their second consecutive county championship and a spot in Sunday’s Long Island title game at Stony Brook at noon. East Islip (8-3) stands in the way of Carey’s pursuit of back-to-back Long Island championships.

Head coach Mike Stanley gave props to his defense. “They did it last week when turnovers put them in some tough spots, and they did it again,” Stanley said. “They’ve been doing it all year. They’re just a great group with a lot of experience. They stayed poised in some big spots.”

      The Seahawks got on the board early. After an interception by Thomas Mayer on Garden City’s second play from scrimmage, Catanese capped an 11-play, 54-yard drive by taking it in from the one. Paul Koprowski’s kick made it 7-0 with 5:45 to play in the opening quarter.

Garden City’s chances for an upset took a serious blow when starting center Drew Mancusi went down with an injury. The Trojans had a few botched snaps that proved to be costly. After one of them, John Heyer pounced on the loose ball at Garden City’s 18-yard line. 

Spillane, who always seems to be involved when the Seahawks need a big play, first took a handoff around right end for 15 yards on a third and 14, then caught a fade for a touchdown on fourth and goal from the eight to give Carey a 14-0 lead. 

Trailing 14-6 in the third quarter, Garden City had a slew of opportunities, but each time the Carey defense came up big. The Trojans drove deep into Carey territory, but huge tackles by Anthony Lucito, Spillane, and Colosurdo thwarted the Garden City drive. 

Carey put the game away with a 12-play, 73-yard drive. Again, Catanese called his own number from three yards out.

Spillane, who carried 10 times for 62 yards, cited depth as a key. “It’s never one or two players with us — it’s a team effort,” he said. “It’s 11 guys on the field playing as a unit. That’s what we believed would get us to this point and beyond.”