Garden City football wins eighth Rutgers Cup after taking home LI Class III championship
Garden City teammates and coaches poses for a group ohoto after winning the Rutgers Cup at the conclusion of the annual NCHSFCA Gridiron Banquet at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Monday. Credit: James Escher
The Garden City football team rode a Long Island record 54-game winning streak into the Crest Hollow Country Club on Monday night in Woodbury. The Trojans rode out with the school’s eighth Rutgers Cup as Nassau’s most outstanding football team.
Garden City won an unprecedented fourth straight Long Island championship with a stirring 31-28 win over Sayville to capture the Long Island Class III title at Stony Brook University, Nov. 30.
“I’m extremely happy for the staff and all of our players,” Garden City coach Dave Ettinger said. “I felt we deserved it this year. We’re in the middle of an unbelievable run and to be recognized by our peers is quite an honor. This was by far our toughest test in the past four years.”
Garden City finished an undefeated season at 12-0 to earn its second Rutgers Cup in the past four years. The Trojans totaled 117 points and 29 first-place votes to second-place Carey which had 87 points and 14 first-place votes. Carey (12-0) won the Long Island Class II crown with a 37-36 win over Half Hollow Hills East.
Massapequa (11-1) had 67 points and seven first-place votes and Wantagh (11-1) had 41 points and two first-place votes.
“The challenge for us was playing in a different conference this season,” said Ettinger, who has a 109-3 record in 10 years. “And playing Sayville for the championship was what all Long Island football fans really wanted. We had two great programs in the title game.”
Sayville was awarded the Rutgers Trophy as Suffolk’s most outstanding team.
“This is a testament to our feeder program at the youth level and all the work our coaches put in at the middle school level,” Ettinger said. “We all share in this honor.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.