Nassau football top 10

"Oh, oh I want some more, oh, oh, what are you waiting for?" — "Animal" by Neon Trees.

At this time of year, every team has an animalistic instinct to hunt down its opponents and destroy them.

It's no fluke to advance to a county final. You've got to be good. And you've got to know how to win once you get here.

Farmingdale, a perennial power, showed Oceanside, the new kids on the block, how to succeed on the turf at Hofstra. The Dalers defeated the Sailors 42-20 last Thursday night to advance to their third county final in four years.

But with QB Sal Tuttle on the mend with a right shoulder injury, Farmingdale now potentially becomes the vulnerable animal heading into tonight's matchup with vaunted Freeport.

Tuttle is expected to play, but it remains to be seen how effective the star quarterback will be throwing the ball. Against Oceanside, he threw just one incompletion as he racked up 162 passing yards.

So week's song, "Animal" by the Neon Trees, is dedicated to the Dalers — who must keep their edge to survive in the jungle that is Long Island football. 

At the top of this list remains Kyle Zahradka (pictured upside down) and Carey, one of two Nassau teams still striving for perfection. The Seahawks have won all 10 of their games by at least 12 points this season, but the team that came closest, Garden City, is the team they'll play on Saturday.  

For the eighth straight week, we're kicking it "Bottom 10" style, this week courtesy of the Neon Trees.

For the second straight week, four of the teams listed below — Freeport, Farmingdale, Oceanside and Carey — made it into this week's MSG Varsity tri-state football poll. The Red Devils moved up one spot to No. 13, the Dalers jumped six spots to No. 16, the Sailors slipped five slots to No. 22 and Carey remains at No. 23. 

None have garnered acceptance into Gregg Sarra's Big 10. Carey is on the "outside looking in."

Without further ado, let's get to this week's Nassau top 10, Neon Trees style...

For a complete rundown of this weekend's matchups, click here and here. All four Nassau games will be played at Hofstra.

1. Carey (10-0, Conference II): "Oh, oh, I want some more, oh, oh what are you waiting for?..." The Seahawks haven't been to a county final since 2005, and that was their only appearance since winning in 1978. So give the defending champion Trojans the edge in experience for Saturday's game. But Carey is extremely talented, as seen in the top seed's 45-7 pasting of No. 5 Mepham at Hofstra on Saturday. Zahradka was 8-for-12 for 238 yards and three touchdowns, all three going to Steven Marino (four catches, 133 yards). Marino also hit all three of his extra points and a 27-yard field goal. For MSG Varsity highlights of this game, click here.

Up next: Vs. No. 2 Garden City (9-1), No. 3 on this list, at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Carey defeated the Trojans 26-14 in Week 3.

2. Freeport (9-1, Conference I): "And I won't be denied by you, the animal inside of you..." It'll be tough to deny the two-time defending county champs of a third straight title. Last week, the top seed failed to score 40 points for only the second time this season. They had to settle for 39 in a 14-point win over No. 5 Syosset last Thursday at Hofstra. Isaiah Barnes was 6-for-8 for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 122 yards and a score on 10 carries. Dan Olivier ran for two touchdowns. To see highlights of the game, click here.

Up next: Vs. No. 3 Farmingdale (8-2), No. 4 on this list, at 7 p.m. this evening. Freeport lost its only game of the season to the Dalers, 42-39, in Week 3.

3. Garden City (9-1, Conference II): "Hush, hush the world is quiet, hush, hush, we both can't fight it..." The Trojans defense has been quieting opposing offenses all season, allowing just 67 points while pitching four shutouts. On Saturday at Hofstra, they overcame Conor McDonnell's broken leg to defeat No. 3 Wantagh, 21-7. McDonnell scored Garden City's second touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Tom Gordon. Stephen Jahelka and Brian Fischer added rushing touchdowns. To see highlights of this game, click here.

Up next: Vs. No. 1 Carey (10-0) at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Garden City lost its only game of the season to Carey, 26-14, in Week 3.

4. Farmingdale (8-2, Conference I): "Oh, oh, I want some more, oh, oh, what are you waiting for?..." The third-seeded Dalers don't have to wait any longer to go for their first county title since 2007. They'll line it up against Freeport in mere hours. They got to this round with a 42-20 win over No. 2 Oceanside last Thursday at Hofstra in which Tuttle was 8-for-9 for 162 yards and ran for two touchdowns before exiting with a shoulder injury. He is expected to play tonight. Kevin Wahl added 177 yards, two touchdowns and a PAT run on 29 carries. To see highlights of the game, click here. 

Up next: Vs. No. 1 Freeport (9-1) at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Farmingdale defeated the Red Devils 42-39 in Week 3.

5. Seaford (10-0, Conference IV): "Here we go again, I kinda wanna be more than friends..." In reality, nobody wants to be friends with the Vikings. They just want to beat the three-time defending county champs. No. 4 North Shore was the latest Conference IV victim in a 35-0 Seaford victory on Saturday at Hofstra. It was the green-and-white's 42nd straight win over a Nassau opponent and 22nd overall. No. 1 Seaford, which pitched its third shutout of the season, rushed for 337 yards, including 124 on 19 carries for Justin Buckley, who scored three touchdowns. 

Up next: Vs. No. 2 Roosevelt (9-1), No. 7 on this list, at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Seaford handed the Rough Riders their only loss of the season 21-20 in Week 7.

6. Lynbrook (9-1, Conference III): "Whoa I won't sleep tonight..." The top-seeded Owls won't get much sleep tonight. They'll be tossing an turning in their beds thinking about tomorrow's final against No. 2 Lawrence. Lynbrook lost to Lawrence 41-7 in this game last season, and hasn't won a title since 1992. They showed last Saturday they're ready to change that. Travis Lock rushed for 250 yards and five touchdowns as Lynbrook scored a season-hight 54 points in a 34-point win over No. 6 Plainedge. To watch highlights of this game, click here. And if you're really aggressive, you can watch the entire game here.

Up next: Vs. No. 2 Lawrence (8-2), No. 8 on this list, at 7 p.m. tomorrow evening. Lynbrook suffered its only loss to Lawrence, 23-22, in Week 7.

7. Roosevelt (9-1, Conference IV): "Say goodbye to my heart tonight..." When the finals roll around, Donte "The Monster" Colter's feelings go away. Colter rushed for 262 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries in Saturday's 48-14 win over No. 3 East Rockaway. The Rough Riders scored a season-high 48 points despite leading only 12-8 at halftime. Roosevelt lost to Seaford in the 2008 final, and last won a title in 2006. They have won six Conference IV championships since 1997. To see Colter's 55-yard touchdown from Saturday, click here. To hear his postgame comments, click here, and to hear from coach Joe Vito, hit it here.

Up next: Vs. No. 1 Seaford (10-0) at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Roosevelt lost to the Vikings 21-20 in Week 7.

8. Lawrence (8-2, Conference III): "Here we go again, I feel the chemicals kickin' in..." The defending Conference III champs get fired up this time of year. Samon Bialostok showed he's ready for tomorrow's final with his performance last Friday. He was 9-for-11 for 183 yards and a touchdown and ran for 77 yards and two scores in the Golden Tornadoes' 49-14 demolition of No. 3 Hewlett on Saturday at Hofstra. Hewlett had defeated Lawrence 35-7 earlier in the season. Ryan Fredericks scored two rushing TDs, while brother Tyler scored on rushing and one receiving. To see Ryan's two scores, click here, and to hear from coach Joe Martillotti, click here.

Up next: Vs. No. 1 Lynbrook (9-1) at noon on Saturday. Lawrence defeated the Owls 23-22 in Week 7.

9. Oceanside (8-2, Conference I): The second-seeded Sailors' season ended with a 42-20 defeat to No. 3 Farmingdale last Thursday at Hofstra. They are the highest seed to fall in the playoff thus far. Tyler Heuer was 13-for-25 for 135 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also rushed for 130 yards and a score on 17 carries. His 34 touchdown passes this season are a Long Island record.

10. Hewlett (7-3, Conference III): The No. 3 Bulldogs' season ended with a 49-14 loss to No. 2 Lawrence on Saturday at Hofstra. Alex Kahn threw a touchdown pass to Mark Rizzo and scored on a 1-yard run. 

The season's over for: Holy Trinity (7-3, CHSFL); Wantagh (7-3, II); Syosset (5-5, I); Plainedge (5-5, III); East Rockaway (7-3, IV).