Ellis scores 3 TDs in Garden City's win
Garden City's Mark Ellis with fine run during the Nassau High School Conference II Football game where Garden City topped Carey 35 to 8. (Oct. 22, 2011) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Garden City's dominance in Nassau II isn't built around one person.
Even after another win, this time a 35-8 victory over host Carey Saturday, it's still not built to showcase a standout runner, even if Mark Ellis continues to shine.
It's not built around the game-changing leg of Ryan Norton, even if he does launch the ball as if he's practicing to take over for the rocket fuel at Cape Canaveral.
It's not built around the offensive line or defensive line, either.
"Someone's always willing to step up," Ellis said.
The success is built around them all.
"Part of it is a lot of film," Ellis said. "We look at teams and dissect them. We practice hard and the defense still stays late to watch more film just to give them that extra look, that extra step."
Ellis ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, his longest when he burst for a 65-yard touchdown with 10:38 left in the third quarter to give Garden City a 21-8 lead.
His most impressive run, though, might have been an 18-yarder with 3:01 to go in the third.
Ellis cut back and forth along the line of scrimmage multiple times, forcing the defenders into a pack, and when they moved ahead to attack, Ellis cut to his right, shaking the entire group before galloping into the end zone to extend Garden City's lead to 28-8.
"We had to put our foot down, hit them hard and get to them before they got to us," he said.
Norton was 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts, but his real value came on punts and kickoffs, routinely booming the ball into the end zone.
Carey (4-3) never started with better field position than its own 35-yard line after a Norton kick and was pinned at or inside the 20-yard line on all but three attempts.
Rob Savage picked off two Carey passes in the second half. One set up a touchdown and Savage returned the second 35 yards for a score with 1:34 left in the third to give Garden City a 35-8 lead.
"On the touchdown, it didn't even register that I caught the ball," Savage said. "It was just instinct. I started running for the end zone."
Despite the final score, the Trojans (7-0) led by only 14-8 at halftime.
Trailing 14-0, Carey struck with 10:23 left in the second quarter, scoring on Michael Locicero's 63-yard pass to Steven Marino. Marino injured his right leg on the touchdown, had to be carried off the field and didn't return. Still, Locicero completed a two-point pass to Jesse Milonas to cut Carey's deficit to six points.
The Seahawks got another break when Thomas Opitz forced and recovered a fumble, giving Carey the ball at the 14-yard line with less than a minute to go in the half. Carey failed to score.
Garden City scored on its first drive of the third quarter, Ellis' 65-yard run, and Carey never recovered.
"That second half was a whole new game," Savage said.
But the same old result.
