Carey at .500 after beating Elmont

A down-and-up season for Carey football continued at last Saturday’s Homecoming when the Seahawks rolled past district rival Elmont, 34-0, on a picture-perfect fall afternoon to get back to .500 with two games remaining in the Nassau Conference II regular season.

Senior quarterback Jason Kessler threw touchdown passes to four different receivers in the first half, and senior Conor Murray added a defensive score in the second half to lead Carey (3-3), which has alternated losses and wins through the first six weeks. The Spartans slipped to 1-5.

“I’m pleased with the win as well as the character and grit of this group,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “They’ve gone to work each week despite a couple of tough losses and we’re getting better on both sides of the ball.”

Elmont’s defense denied the Seahawks until the final play of the opening quarter. Junior Anthony DeNicola, who in Week 4 rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries to highlight a win over Manhasset, carried three times for a total of 24 yards to help set up Kessler’s 66-yard touchdown pass down the middle to junior tight end Joseph Todaro. The drive covered 96 yards and the Seahawks took a 6-0 lead into the second quarter.

It was the first of four straight possessions the hosts found the end zone. Carey scored twice in a span of 69 seconds in the second. DeNicola’s 16-yard reception led to senior James Stein’s 3-yard touchdown catch with 8:08 remaining in the half and it was 13-0 after senior Nick Bell’s first of four successful extra points.

Two plays into the ensuing possession, Elmont fumbled and senior Aidan Doona recovered for Carey on the Spartans’ 16. On the first snap of the series, Kessler connected with junior Nick Cowen for a score and the lead increased to 20-0. Bell had a 15-yard touchdown reception with 1:29 left in the half and the advantage swelled to 27-0 at intermission.

The Spartans suffered their second consecutive shutout and have managed only 35 points on the year. They’ll close out with home games against Mepham and MacArthur.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, head to Long Beach this Saturday at 2 p.m. looking to buck a trend of losing odd-numbered weeks. They fell to Mepham in Week 1, Garden City in Week 3, and MacArthur in Week 5.