Thorp Award: Michael Berkery, Garden City's dynamic running back, named Nassau's most outstanding player
Michael Berkery of Garden City is the Newsday Tom Thorp Memorial Award recipient at the Nassau Football Coaches Awards Dinner at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Michael Berkery arrived at LaValle Stadium on the Stony Brook campus for the Long Island championship clash between Garden City and North Babylon. But he wasn’t going to have the view he wanted, right there in the middle of it all.
The Garden City junior was stopped in more ways than one on fourth-and-goal from the 6 in the third quarter of the Trojans’ 35-7 win over Carey in the Nassau Conference II title round at Hofstra.
He laid on the turf, his right ankle broken from being tackled, his season over a week too soon. Berkery had 201 yards and two touchdowns on the ground behind him. He ultimately headed to an ambulance on crutches and underwent surgery three days later, on the Tuesday preceding the Island’s Class II championship game on a late-November Saturday.
“He was a huge part [of] this team,” teammate Aidan Considine said after that Carey game. “He meant a lot to everyone on the team. Meant a lot to me. He’s going to be missed.”
Berkery still enjoyed the view from the sideline of the 38-7 victory over North Babylon even though he did have to remain a bit farther back to protect the ankle. He needed a knee scooter to get around.
“It was the first time I got out of my house after surgery,” Berkery said. “It took a lot for me to get there, but I was happy once I got to see all my boys and got to see them [defeat] North Babylon. It was awesome.”
How awesome was Berkery before the injury? Awesome enough to be selected to take the handoff of a prestigious trophy during the county coaches’ banquet at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury Wednesday night. He was named the winner of Newsday’s Thorp Award as the most outstanding football player in Nassau.
The 6-foot, 172-pound halfback, slot receiver, strong safety and kick/punt returner had done everything he could for an undefeated Trojans team that claimed its eighth straight county crown and third straight Long Island championship.
But the individual honor was a team honor to him. He passed credit to his teammates who trained with him in the offseason to prepare for what became a 12-0 run that extended the program’s winning streak to a Long Island-record-tying 42 games. So he isn’t going to remember this season as the one in which he busted his ankle.
“I’m going to remember it as our championship because, although it was very devastating I broke my ankle, a lot of the guys pushed through for me and they tried to win this [North Babylon] game in order to get that last ring even though they didn’t have me,” Berkery said.
“So it’s really a team game and our team won the championship. When I look back at the 2023 season, I’m just going to remember having that ring on my finger at the end of the day and holding up that trophy.”
Berkery, who started at cornerback and didn’t play much offensively as a sophomore, finished with 79 carries for 945 yards — 12 yards per rush — and 19 touchdowns. He also had seven receptions for 201 yards — 28.7 per catch — and two TDs, 320 return yards and two more return TDs, and 38 tackles, three interceptions and a sack.
“He’s just a dynamite athlete,” coach Dave Ettinger said. “He’s able to do things all over the field, offensively, defensively, special teams. . . . He’s a really competitive kid. I think that fuels him to have as much success as he can on the field.
“He’s one of our better tacklers. Physical, athletic, can cover. A really versatile defensive football player.
“I think he’s a total package as an offensive player.”
The halfback package contains outside speed and inside power.
“But if we were to go one or the other,” Berkery said, “I’d probably say I’m more of an elusive, toss, outside sweep type guy.”
Now this guy has to heal. Dr. Mark Drakos performed the ankle operation at Manhattan’s Hospital for Special Surgery — the same Mark Drakos who played football for Garden City and Harvard.
“He says he’ll be back to 100%,” Ettinger said.
Berkery plans to be back in the spring, playing as a midfielder in lacrosse.
Then it’s on to football again for one last high school run.
“I’m hoping I can gain some more mass and muscle in the offseason and hopefully become more of a power back than I was this year,” Berkery said. “That creates a lot more versatility.”
NEWSDAY THORP AWARD WINNERS
2023 — Michael Berkery, Garden City, RB/LB
2022 — Stevie Finnell, Garden City, RB/LB
2021 — Jack Cascadden, Garden City, RB/DE
2021 Spring — Charlie McKee, Oceanside, QB
2019 — Dan Villari, Plainedge, QB/S
2018 — Kevon Hall, Roosevelt, RB/LB
2017 — Tommy Heuer, Oceanside, QB
2016 — Jordan McLune, Farmingdale, RB/LB
2015 — Davien Kuinlan, Plainedge, QB/RB/DB
2014 — Jordan Fredericks, Lawrence, RB/DB
2013 — Ray Catapano, Carey, QB
2012 — Billy Andrle, East Meadow, RB/LB
2011 — Robbie Healy, East Meadow, RB/DB
2010 — Tom Joyce, MacArthur, FB/LB
2009 — Anthony Brunetti, Holy Trinity, RB
2008 — Terrell Williams, Hempstead, RB/All-purpose
2007 — Alex Rivas, East Meadow, RB/LB
2006 — Chris Edmond, Freeport, RB/LB
2005 — Ricky Manigat, Baldwin, RB/DB
2004 — Terence Hartigan, Garden City, FB/LB
2003 — Rich Ohrnberger, East Meadow, OL/DL
2002 — Gian Villante, MacArthur, RB/LB
2001 — D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Freeport, OT/DE
2000 — Chris Richez, Freeport, QB/FS
1999 — (Tie) Jason Ham, Port Washington, RB/DB and Jerone Pettus, Roosevelt, RB/S
1998 — Clifton Smith, Freeport, RB/LB
1997 — Kevin Pierce, Clarke, QB/DB
1996 — Eric Wedin, Division, RB/LB
1995 — Vaughn Sanders, Lawrence, RB/LB
1994 — Amos Zereoue, Mepham, RB/DB
1993 — Amos Zereoue, Mepham, RB, DB
1992 — Dan Penengo, Syosset, RB/FS
1991 — Eugene Culbreath, Baldwin, RB/FS
1990 — Louis D'Agostino, Lawrence, RB/LB
1989 — Stephen Boyd, V.S. Central, FB/LB
1988 — Lamont Hough, Hempstead, QB/DB
1987—- Elvin Brown, Sewanhaka, RB/DB
1986 — Denis Goodwin, Lynbrook, RB/LB
1985 — Robert Lee, Roosevelt, QB/DB
1984 — Ken Randolph, Sewanhaka, RB/DB
1983 — Anthony Cappellino, New Hyde Park, RB/LB
1982 — Don McPherson, West Hempstead, QB/DB
1981 — Larry Galizia, Lynbrook, RB/LB
1980 — John Rodney, Hicksville, RB/LB
1979 — Ron Heller, Farmingdale, TE/DE
1978 — Herbert Butzke, New Hyde Park, OT/LB
1977 — John Rogan, Chaminade, QB
1976 — Henry Feil, Berner, Line
1975 — Tony Capozzoli, St. Dominic, QB/DB/K/P
1974 — Matt Kupec, Syosset, QB
1973 — Joe Diange, Farmingdale, QB/DB
1972 — Larry Esposito, Clarke, G/LB
1971 — Mike Duffy, Massapequa, back
1970 — Mark Coady, Carle Place, RB/LB
1969 — Phil LaPorta, V.S. Central, OT/DT
1968 — Dennis Macholz, Bethpage, QB/LB
1967 — Phil Barbaccia, East Meadow, guard
1966 — Warren Koegel, Seaford, center
1965 — Charles Drimal, V.S. South, back
1964 — Ed Kane, Levittown, tackle
1963 — Guy Riccardi, Freeport, center
1962 — Jim Litterelle, Mineola, back
1961 — Sal Ciampi, Lawrence, T/LB
1960 — Rollie Stichweh, Mineola, QB
1959 — Matt Snell, Carle Place, back
1958 — John Mackey, Hempstead, end
1957 — Dave Hayes, Mepham, back
1956 — Don Kornrumpf, Hempstead, back
1955 — Paul Rochester, Sewanhaka, tackle
1954 — Bob Reifsnyder, Baldwin, back/line
1953 — Bill Sandie, Mepham, back
1952 — Jim Brown, Manhasset, back,
1951 — Dick Martin, Hempstead, back
1950 — Ed Nickla, Mepham, end
1949 — Lou Britt, Glen Cove, back
1948 — Al Kohanowich, Hempstead, end
1947 — Mike Kinney, V.S. Central, back
1946 — John Fasano, Port Washington, tackle
1945 — Ray Mrozack, Mineola, back
1944 — Bob Casey, Baldwin, back
1943 — Billy Wilson, Lawrence, back
1942 — Fred Miller, Chaminade, guard
