Thursday, October 1, 2026
Behind sophomore running back Justin DePietro and a defense that allowed only six first downs, Carey moved one win from its first Nassau County football championship since 2014 with a 15-0 victory over Long Beach in a Conference II semifinal Friday afternoon at Hofstra.
DePietro rushed for 160 yards on 33 carries and scored both touchdowns as the top-seeded Seahawks (10-0) remained perfect on the year and advanced to face No. 3 Mepham for the crown next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Hofstra.
“When you get to this point you’re going to be tested, and we were tested,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “Long Beach played a tough game, so hats off to them. We would’ve liked to have finished off a few more drives, but our kids dug in and the defense was up to the task. We covered well downfield and didn’t really allow any big plays.”
Junior Christian Anaya preserved Carey’s second straight postseason shutout — it opened the playoffs with a 35-0 win over Roosevelt behind senior Christian Todaro’s four touchdowns — with a late interception. Junior Michael Agostino led the way in tackles with nine.
Fifth-seeded Long Beach (5-5), coming off a dominant 37-6 win at No. 4 New Hyde Park, forced four Carey punts and staged an impressive goal-line stand just before halftime but its offense managed just one snap in the red zone resulting in a missed 37-yard field goal in the third quarter.
“It was a battle,” said DePietro, who accounted for 65 of the Seahawks’ 97 yards in a 17-play scoring drive to open the second quarter, capped by his 1-yard touchdown on fourth down. “We stuck together, played as a team and kept on pounding,” he added.
The Seahawks led 8-0 after senior quarterback Chris Obertis found junior James McGrath for the two-point conversion. Junior Theodore Andrikopoulos blocked a punt on the ensuing possession and senior two-way starter Michael Verderosa, playing in his first game of 2024, recovered at the Long Beach 7 but the offense couldn’t capitalize.
Sophomore Brody Riedel led the Marines with 93 scrimmage yards, 42 of which came on a screen pass from junior quarterback Charlie Conway to set up the field-goal try, and 14 off a fake punt in the fourth quarter. Senior linemen Rafael Almonte and Shea Mullarkey led a strong effort in the trenches.
“The kids played hard and carried out the game plan,” Long Beach head coach Scott Martin said. “It was a great team effort.”
Following the successful fake punt, the Marines stalled at their own 47 with 4:58 remaining. Five plays and just over two minutes later, DePietro’s 10-yard touchdown run made it a two-possession game.
Only Mepham, a 34-6 winner over No. 2 Glen Cove in the other semifinal, stands in the way of the Seahawks now. Carey defeated the Pirates, 27-14, at home Oct. 5 as DePietro rumbled for 195 yards and three scores.
“We’re pretty hungry after falling short in the finals last season,” DePietro said. “It’s going to come down to who wants it more and we really want it.”
