Carey football's Justin DePietro leads Seahawks into Nassau Conference II title game with win over Long Beach
Justin DePietro #6, Carey running back, rushes for a gain during the second quarter of the Nassau County football Conference II semifinals against Long Beach at Shuart Stadium on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Credit: James Escher
Justin DePietro is only a sophomore running back for Carey, but when he has the football in his hands, his intent is evident.
“I like to run through people’s faces,” said DePietro, who is listed at 6 feet, 200 pounds and also plays linebacker. “That’s about it. I love contact.”
Carey coach Mike Stanley calls his young star a “bruiser” and “pound for pound the strongest kid in the program.”
DePietro bulldozed his way to 160 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries — the most he said he has had since pee wee football — to lead the top-seeded Seahawks to a 15-0 win over No. 5 Long Beach in a Nassau Conference II semifinal at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium on Friday.
“Everything is special about him,” Stanley said. “I mean, he’s 15. He wants this moment. He works as hard as anybody we’ve ever seen. Even though he’s one of the younger guys on the team, he’s a leader, and we’re going to ride him.”
Carey (10-0), looking for its first county title since 2014, is in the Nassau II championship game for the second straight year. It will meet No. 3 Mepham on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Hofstra.
Carey, which is allowing only 7.0 points per game, pitched its fourth shutout. Michael Agostino had a team-leading nine tackles.
“The defense played amazing,” DiPietro said. “The whole defense, we played as one today. We had each other’s backs.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Carey embarked on a methodical 17-play, 97-yard drive on which DePietro carried 14 times for 69 yards. His 1-yard touchdown run and Chris Obertis’ two-point pass to James McGrath gave Carey an 8-0 lead with 4:02 left in the second quarter.
The Seahawks threatened shortly afterward as Theo Andrikopoulos blocked a punt deep in Long Beach territory. Carey started the drive at the 7 and had fourth-and-goal from the 3, but Rafael Almonte was first among a group of Marines to stuff Christian Todaro at the line of scrimmage 50.3 seconds before halftime.
Both Carey and Long Beach (5-5) drove into opposing territory on their first third-quarter drives, which both resulted in turnovers on downs.
Four plays after a successful fake punt, Long Beach had a turnover on downs with 5:03 left. DePietro ran for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 15-0 with 2:49 remaining. Christian Anaya had the game-icing interception on Long Beach’s next possession.
“This year, I think we’re one,” DePietro said. “It’s not every year when you have a team like this, when we all feel like the same.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.