Big third quarter leads Carey over MacArthur

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Carey scored offensive, defensive and special teams touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 27-point lead on the way to a 34-21 home victory over defending champion MacArthur in a Nassau Conference II football opener played last Saturday before a packed house in sweltering conditions with the heat index in the low 90s. 

Senior quarterback Dan Conte connected with three different receivers for touchdowns, and the Seahawks’ defense managed four takeaways — all inside MacArthur’s 30-yard line — including a pair of early fumble recoveries by senior linebacker Zach Dente.

“We knew defense was the strength of our team,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “We not only made some big defensive plays, but also on special teams. We were exhausted at the end, but we held on.”

The Generals, who made things a little interesting with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, fumbled away their first snap of the year and trailed for good after Conte rolled out and hit senior Dom Scorcia for a 12-yard score 3:15 into the game.

“We did some good things, but we made too many mistakes,” MacArthur head coach Bob Fehrenbach said. “We had a real sloppy third quarter and it started to get away from us. 

“We’ll be fine. We had a bunch of guys playing their first varsity game, so it’s just a matter of gaining experience and confidence,” he added.

After needing to drive merely 26 yards to open the scoring, the Seahawks took advantage of prime field position again early in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead. They started at the MacArthur 34 and reached the end zone in four plays, capped by Conte’s 21-yard touchdown pass to junior Alex Lake with 8:49 remaining in the half.

“Dan’s got ability,” Stanley said of Conte, who completed 11 of 24 attempts for 106 yards. “He made some nice throws. He just needs experience and we need to keep him comfortable.”

MacArthur, which hosts Sewanhaka in Week 2, responded with a 70-yard scoring drive to get on the board. Senior Chris Moustouka (18-yard reception) and junior Calvin Louie (25-yard run) make key plays to set up junior quarterback Kyle Acquavella’s 12-yard touchdown pass to junior Mike Manfredo on 4th-and-11. 

“We hung in there after fumbling away two of our first three snaps,” Fehrenbach said. “We didn’t feel too bad being down seven at halftime.”

Things changed quickly in a span of three minutes in the third quarter. After a Scorcia punt pinned the Generals at their own 1 and Carey’s defense forced a three-and-out, senior Kyle DeMeo gave the Seahawks a 21-7 lead with a 30-yard punt-return touchdown. “That was huge,” Stanley said.

Senior Joe Randazzo caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Conte to make it 27-7, and senior Michael Moriates pounced on a Scorcia forced fumble in the end zone nine seconds later. MacArthur got touchdown runs from senior Sean Looney and junior Benny Orlando in the fourth quarter.

“It was sloppy at times, but we’ll take the win,” said Stanley, whose team faces Elmont in Week 2.