Ellis' 3 TDs spurs Garden City
Mark Ellis carries during the first quarter against Wantagh. (Nov. 18, 2011) Credit: Kevin P. Coughlin
Garden City can beat you any number of ways.
It could be with the bruising force of running back Patric Berkery. Or fleet-footed rusher Mark Ellis. A sparingly used yet effective passing game led by Mike Comiskey. The right leg of star kicker Ryan Norton. A defense stingier than Ebenezer Scrooge.
Or all of the above.
Even on a night when Ellis scored three touchdowns to claim the Garden City record for TDs in a season, No. 1 Garden City utilized each of its standout elements to beat No. 2 Wantagh, 35-7, in the Nassau II championship at Hofstra. Garden City will play Newfield in the Long Island Championship at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Hofstra.
Ellis (86 yards) scored on a 3-yard run with 7:11 left to give Garden City a 35-7 lead and give him 20 touchdowns for the season, breaking a school record set in 2006, according to team statistician Jack White.
This is Garden City's third straight Nassau title and seventh since 2000. Wantagh (9-2) hasn't won since it was in Nassau III in 2004.
Ellis' record-breaker was part of a 21-point second half in which Garden City pulled away.
The Trojans (11-0) scored on their first drive of the third quarter, Berkery punching in the ball from 4 yards to give Garden City a 21-7 lead with 8:00 left. Wantagh committed two big penalties on the drive, grabbing Ellis' face mask on the kickoff return and roughing Norton on a fourth down to extend the drive.
On the Warriors' ensuing drive, Berkery grabbed an interception at the Wantagh 38-yard line, returning it 18 yards with 6:15 to play. The Wantagh defense appeared to hold Garden City to just a field goal, but as Norton's 33-yard try sailed through the uprights, Wantagh was hit with a roughing the kicker penalty to extend the Trojans' drive. Garden City capitalized when Ed Blatz leaped up in the middle of the end zone to catch Comiskey's 6-yard pass and give the Trojans a 28-7 lead.
The first half was more of a battle. Ellis burst 37 yards down the middle of the field for a touchdown with 5:16 to go in the second quarter, giving Garden City a 7-0 lead.
With 8:12 to go in the half, Ellis picked off Nick Mullen's pass at the Garden City 25-yard line and returned it for a touchdown to give the Trojans a 14-0 lead. It was the second week in a row Ellis returned an interception for a touchdown.
"I'm a defensive guy," Ellis said. "I like to hit people. I like to defend whoever has the ball. You give me a little seam, I'm going to hit it hard."
Wantagh's Brian VonBargen recovered Berkery's fumble at the 50-yard line with 2:51 to go, but Matt Balzano (129 yards on 14 carries) fumbled at the 5-yard line with 1:59 left in the half. Balzano fell on it at the 3-yard line, however, and, on the ensuing play, powered ahead for the touchdown with 1:19 to go, cutting Garden City's lead to 14-7.
