Garden City claims eighth straight Nassau II football crown with 41st consecutive win

The first minute and 11 seconds told a story about Garden City’s latest extension of its dynamic, dynastic rule.

The undefeated Trojans won the coin toss Saturday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium and elected to defer. The defense forced a three-and-out by Carey. And on the first play after a 17-yard punt, Michael Berkery carried into traffic before bursting through the jam for a 38-yard touchdown.

Top-seeded Garden City went on to beat second-seeded Carey, 35-7, for its eighth straight Nassau Conference II title and 41st consecutive victory.

Yet it was difficult for the Trojans to feel the full joy of another championship.

Berkery rushed 14 times for 201 yards and two touchdowns before being tackled on a third-quarter run and suffering what coach Dave Ettinger said was an ankle injury.

The junior running back/receiver/safety/kick returner ultimately left the field on crutches and was taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

“It’s really the only thing on my mind right now is Michael and his injury,” Ettinger said. “Hate to see anybody get hurt in any game. I feel terrible for him. It’s hard to celebrate anything when one of your own is hurting. Just a terrible situation.”

Garden City (11-0) will go after its third straight Long Island Class II crown at noon on Saturday against North Babylon (10-1) at Stony Brook. But the Trojans will face considerable adversity.

“Everyone was upset when it happened,” senior running back/linebacker Aidan Considine said. “As much as it hurts us, we have to move forward. It’s a next-man-up kind of mentality.”

Berkery recorded his two touchdowns in the first quarter. His second came when he raced through a hole on the left side and picked up 10 yards.

“He was a huge part to this team,” Considine said. “He meant a lot to everyone on the team.”

The defense, which has yielded only 34 points in 11 games, then forced the fourth of five straight three-and-outs to open the game. Another short punt set up Garden City at the Carey 37.

Four plays later, senior quarterback Carson Kraus plunged in from the 1. It was 21-0 just 27 seconds into the second quarter.

Kraus also scored on an 8-yard run, and the Trojans carried a 28-0 cushion into the locker room.

“I think our defense played amazing, keeping them on their side of the field, so when they punted, we had good field position,” Kraus said. “And then offensively, we just had to do our jobs.”

Carey (9-2) made a stand on the first drive of the second half. Berkery was stopped at the 3 on a fourth-and-goal run from the 6. That’s when he got hurt.

“It’s definitely, definitely a tough injury,” Kraus said. “I love the kid to death. Hope for a very quick recovery.”

The Seahawks broke through when Will Tolliver turned the right corner and raced 51 yards to the end zone 53 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Daniel Morizio had a 1-yard interception return for the final touchdown.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” Kraus said of taking the title, “but we still know we have one more week of football to play.”