Carey football wins Nassau II title behind Justin DePietro's 3 TDs, Billy Koutsoumbaris' game-changing fake punt
Carey celebrates Justin DePietroÕs (left) third touchdown of the Nassau Conference II championship football game against Mepham at HofstraÕs Stuart Stadium on Friday,November 22, 2024. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The Nassau II championship game was stuck in a tie Friday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium, and it was fourth-and 6 for Carey at its own 47 in the third quarter. Time to send the ball flying via a punt toward Mepham.
Or was it?
Punter Billy Koutsoumbaris took off through the middle, cut left and by the time his surprise run was over, the senior was at the Pirates’ 24. Five plays later, it became a turning point. Justin DePietro carried the ball in, and undefeated Carey was headed in the direction of the title.
DePietro ran 35 times for 187 yards and three touchdowns, and the top-seeded Seahawks’ top-shelf defense held up its end, allowing all of 14 yards in the second half.
And so Carey emerged with a 28-7 victory over third-seeded Mepham and claimed this football program’s first county crown since 2014.
“I’m just so happy for the kids,” coach Mike Stanley said. “They’ve worked so hard all season long. They were committed to the offseason. They did everything that we asked them to do and more. They’re a great group of kids, a special group of kids.”
They’re now an 11-0 group of kids.
The Seahawks — who had fallen in the final last season against Garden City, which moved to Nassau III before this school year — advanced to the Long Island championship game against Half Hollow Hills East (10-1) at 4:30 p.m. next Friday back at Hofstra.
“We’re hungry for another one,” Koutsoumbaris said. “We want it. We want it bad.”
