Carey lights up Mepham

Posted

When word of an impending nor’easter came to light, last week, athletic directors from every high school on Long Island had to scramble to alter game schedules.

Some elected to play after classes on Friday, while others chose Sunday afternoon. Carey, for the first time in program history, opted to bring in portable field lighting and hosted its own version of Friday Night Lights.

In front of a boisterous, homecoming crowd, the Seahawks were virtually unstoppable as they closed out the regular season with a 35-7 rout of Mepham. Junior quarterback Jason Kessler (18-for-29 for 252 yards) threw three touchdown passes, and senior Nick Giacalone scored three times to lead the offense. The Seahawks improved to 6-2 in Nassau Conference II.

Carey, which entered the game having won three straight in convincing fashion since falling to Garden City in week four, put this one away early. After opening the scoring with an eight-yard scamper, Giacalone was on the receiving end of a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kessler to give the Seahawks a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

“We always have great support at our games, but the atmosphere out there was the best I have ever seen here at Carey,” head coach Mike Stanley said. “It was nuts. The guys were all fired up. It was one of those nights where things just went our way. We came into the game very confident and feeling good about ourselves.”

Mepham, which was riding high after a dramatic 35-34 overtime victory over MacArthur, was not only was tasked with trying to slow down Carey’s vaunted attack, it had to do so while battling a bout with the injury bug.

The Seahawks weren’t done scoring in the opening quarter. Kessler and senior Riley DeMeo hooked up for a 15-yard touchdown reception. DeMeo had big night, nailing all five extra-points, rushing for a team-high 76 yards, and blocking a punt. Giacalone capped off the first half scoring with a 15-yard run to give Carey a commanding 28-0 lead.

Carey’s defense, which will enter the playoffs having yielded an average of just eight points over the past four contests, was stingy. Senior Devin Hartz led the way with six tackles.

Junior wide receiver James Stein (five receptions for 71 yards) made it 35-0 in the third quarter when Kessler connected with him from 15 yards out. Mepham fell to 5-3.

The Seahawks earned the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 Manhasset on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Indians had their five-game winning streak halted by Elmont last Friday prior to the Carey-Mepham kickoff. 

Carey is not looking past Manhasset. “Obviously, I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff and players,” Stanley said. “They had some big wins over Mepham and Bellmore. I like the way we’re practicing and playing right now. We’ve gotten better each week, and we’re really clicking. We took away a lot from the Garden City loss. We’re excited about getting back to work and preparing for Manhasset.”