Carey football, Christian Todaro take a chance to earn comeback win in Long Island Class II championship

Carey had waited 10 years to reach the pinnacle of Long Island high school football again.

So after trailing Half Hollow Hills East by 14 points in the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks moved within one on Chris Obertis’ 21-yard touchdown pass to Christian Todaro with 1:23 left, the decision whether to kick the extra point or go for two — and the glory — was predetermined.

Carey initially lined up to kick the extra point but soon got into a trick-play formation with Todaro under center. The senior wide receiver/defensive back ran in the two-point conversion for the lead.

“We thought they overplayed our extra point hard on the right side,” Carey coach Mike Stanley said after his team’s 37-36 victory in the Long Island Class II championship game on Friday. “So we thought if we could shift down the left, we might be able to be numbered up. We worked on it this week.”

Hills East drove to the Carey 43 with 16.6 seconds left, but Todaro grabbed the game-sealing interception at the 8 with 10 seconds remaining.

Todaro had 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, three catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and a pair of two-point runs to lead Carey to an epic victory at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. The game featured two ties and four lead changes.

“It was time to just let the tank out and just leave it all out on the field,” he said.

Carey (12-0) claimed its first Long Island title since 2014 and its third in program history.

TODARO WITH THE TOUCHDOWN AND CONVERSION TO GIVE THE SEAHAWKS THE LEAD! AFTER TODARO GOT A PICK TO SEAL THE VICTORY!!!! CAREY ARE YOUR LONG ISLAND CLASS II CHAMPIONS!!!! pic.twitter.com/AUmiUo8IpZ

— Newsday HS sports (@NewsdayHSsports) November 30, 2024

“We’re a family,” Todaro said. “We’ve been together. Me and my best friends have been up for three, four years. We knew this was the year, and we knew to take it. When they always reference [champions], now they’re going to reference us. I know we made history tonight, and it feels surreal.”

Stanley said the winning two-point conversion came on a brand-new play that was installed this week. The Seahawks initially called the play after their first touchdown of the game, but Hills East (10-2) jumped offside as Carey shifted.

Todaro said the play is called “Special.”

“I saw Coach Stanley, I saw his lips,” Todaro said. “I heard him saying ‘Special,’ and I was like, ‘All right, this is it. Time to get in.’ ”

The RedHawks extended their lead to 36-22 on Nick Sevilla’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Martin — the third scoring connection between the duo — with 1:20 left in the third quarter.

Sevilla finds Martin for the touchdown to open up the scoring in the third quarter as the RedHawks are up 29-22 in this electric game! pic.twitter.com/gaeIii5eXo

— Newsday HS sports (@NewsdayHSsports) November 29, 2024

Carey cut it to 36-29 on Obertis’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Theo Andrikopoulos with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter. Hills East moved inside the red zone on its next drive, but Mark Vera came up with an interception at the Carey 14 with 5:42 left.

Theodoras Andrikopoulos with the touchdown to keep Carey’s hopes alive in this tight game. Score is now 36-29 Hills East is still winning. pic.twitter.com/NQfXq4GjqV

— Newsday HS sports (@NewsdayHSsports) November 29, 2024

Hills East forced Carey into a fourth-and-6 at its own 35 on the sixth play of the Seahawks’ ensuing drive, and Tyler Sanders appeared to intercept a pass. The officials called a roughing-the-passer penalty, though, and Carey scored its final touchdown seven plays later.

“I saw a kid go to make a play on the ball, and they threw a — the play was done,” Hills East coach Alex Marcelin said. “I didn’t see anything. But I’m not the official, so I don’t know.”

Hills East wrapped up arguably its best season in school history after beating East Islip for its first county title last Friday and playing in the Long Island Championships for the first time.

“I’m so proud of this group,” Marcelin said. “I can’t ask anything else from them. They gave everything they needed to give in this game, and they tried to do whatever they had to. It’s unfortunate that their season had to end this way.”

Hills East’s Daniel White rushed for 244 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Sevilla completed 12 of 20 passes for 152 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Martin had six receptions for 83 yards and three touchdowns.

Obertis was poised under center for Carey, completing 14 of 18 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

“We worked so hard for this. I worked so hard for this,” he said. “We really had a special bond this year, and we knew we had to do it and we did it.”