Despite some key injuries, Carey’s football team has been a model of consistency in all three phases and put that on display again Friday afternoon against Nassau Conference III and district rival Elmont.
The Seahawks got passing and rushing touchdowns from senior quarterback Tristan Hickis, scores on the ground from their thunder-and-lightning backfield combination and played smothering defense against a dangerous dual-threat, sacking Elmont senior signal-caller Aiden Barnes three times in the opening quarter to set the tone for a 29-6 home victory.
“I was really happy with us defensively,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “We played physical and we pressured the quarterback pretty well. He’s a great athlete and buys time well with his legs. The pressure definitely helped our cover guys.”
Senior lineman Kelvin Persaud had a pair of sacks in Elmont’s first two drives and junior running back/linebacker Justin DePietro, who bulldozed for 78 yards rushing and a touchdown and helped pave openings for senior tailback Joncarlo Carbone (107 yards, one touchdown), also picked up a sack as the Seahawks (5-0) remained unbeaten and won their 17th consecutive game dating back to the start of 2024.
“We have a long way to go, but I think we made some important strides today,” Stanley said.
The Spartans, who avoided the shutout late in the fourth quarter when Barnes raced 27 yards for a touchdown, slipped to 1-4 and sits on the playoff bubble with three games remaining beginning with a trip to Hewlett Friday evening.
“We’ve dug ourselves a hole and now we have to treat every game like it’s our last,” Elmont head coach Tom Innes said. “Carey’s a great team with a great coaching staff and players. They executed a great game plan.”
DePietro and Carbone were instrumental in the game’s first scoring drive, accounting for all of the 58 yards behind an O-line of Thomas Andrikopoulos, Zachary Montante, Rob Mantone, Michael Carollo and Stephen Klein. DePietro broke a 33-yard run to move the ball inside the red zone and Carbone followed with a shifty 18-yard touchdown burst. After Elmont jumped offside on the extra-point try, Stanley sent the offense back out and called DePietro’s number for the two-point conversion that resulted in an 8-0 lead.
Hickis, thrust into the starting quarterback role early in the campaign, continued to shine for an offense averaging 30 points through five games. He rushed for 66 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown a minute into the second quarter to increase the lead to 15-0, and connected with junior Jayden Radow for a 20-yard score on the opening drive of the second half to create a 29-0 cushion. DePietro had a 2-yard touchdown run in between.
“Really proud of Tristan,” Stanley said of Hickis. “He grew up as a quarterback. He’s showed he has the ability to read the run game and makes plays with his athleticism.”
Carey has an 11 a.m. kickoff at Clarke this Saturday. The surprising Rams have won four in a row, including a huge upset over Wantagh two weeks ago.
“Clarke presents plenty of challenges,” Stanley said.
