Nicholas Honerkamp carries Mepham to big win over Carey
Mepham's Nicholas Honerkamp celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the first half of the game at Carey on Saturday. Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
When Mepham quarterback Nicholas Honerkamp runs downhill the way he did on Saturday afternoon, another player comes to teammate Dominick Novello’s mind.
One known for his superior playmaking ability on Sundays.
"My quarterback ran the ball like [Tennessee Titans running back] Derrick Henry," Novello said. "It was unbelievable how he lowered his shoulder every run and he just stood out."
The senior sparked the Pirates with his legs in the second half, as Mepham surged past Carey to earn a 36-26 road victory in a Nassau Conference II football game, the opener for both teams. He racked up 212 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, giving all the credit to his offensive line.
"My line balled out," said Honerkamp, who was also 5 of 9 for 108 yards through the air. "They showed out and did exactly what they needed to do. And we got the result we wanted on the scoreboard."
"Nick carried the ball really well today," Mepham coach Anthony Cracco said. "With everyone blocking for him, they went low and played hard. When Nick gets going he’s a hard guy to tackle and in the open field he makes people miss."
Honerkamp’s 1-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes remaining broke a tie at 14, giving the Pirates their first lead of the day at 21-14 before Carey’s Kyle Lewis returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to bring the Seahawks within 21-20.
Novello, who added nine carries for 62 yards, helped extend the lead to 29-20 at the 8:22 mark with a 6-yard rushing touchdown followed by a Honerkamp two-point conversion run. Honerkamp tacked on his final touchdown with a 20-yarder on 4th and 2 with 4:50 left to essentially seal the win.
"We’re starting out hot with a win against a very, very good Carey football team," Honerkamp said. "I couldn’t be happier."
Carey quarterback Dean Metzger, who threw a 2-yard touchdown pass in the first, suffered a frightening injury with about seven minutes to go. He went down on a non-contact scrambling play, clutched his knee and was carted off the field.
"Obviously we’re hoping for good news and we’ll see what the doctor says," Carey coach Mike Stanley said. "I feel terrible for him and hopefully everything turns out all right."
Trailing 14-6 at halftime, Mepham opened the second half by recovering a fumble at the Carey 28-yard line. The takeaway opened the door for Honerkamp to score his first touchdown two plays later as he scampered down the left sideline for a 25-yard score. He also converted a two-point conversion run to tie the score at 14.
"The fumble recovery was a huge momentum swing," Cracco said. "Nick scored a couple of plays later…It gave us the opportunity to go up and breathe again. I think the guys were pressing a little bit before that."
