Garden City tops previously unbeaten Manhasset to extend winning streak to 36
Garden City's Michael Berkery heads into the end zone for his second touchdown during a Nassau Conference II football game against host Manhasset on Friday, October 13, 2023. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Garden City again may be in a class of its own.
In a battle of Nassau Conference II unbeaten football teams, the Trojans scored 41 points before halftime and rolled to a 41-7 victory over host Manhasset at Ed Walsh Field on Friday night.
Garden City (6-0), which has won seven straight county titles, extended its winning streak to 36 games and looks on course for another crown.
“There’s a lot of pressure playing here because the standard has been set high and you don’t want to be known as the team that lost the streak,” junior running back/defensive back Michael Berkery said. “But we know we’re not 36-0. This team is just 6-0.”
Berkery carried nine times for 66 yards and had touchdown runs of 4, 12 and 13 yards.
“None of us thought we’d just come into this season and roll,” senior quarterback Carson Kraus said. “Nothing is handed to you at Garden City. We know we have to put in the work to keep winning.”
Manhasset (6-1) was off to its best start in three seasons and had defeated two teams that were seeded higher in the preseason.
Senior running back / linebacker Aidan Considine rushed for 60 yards, including a 2-yard TD, and caught a 49-yard TD pass from Kraus. Kraus completed 5 of 6 passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns, including a 9-yarder to Danny Psaki.
“When you have multiple guys who can make plays, it makes you better,” Garden City coach Dave Ettinger said. “This team has a lot of guys who didn’t get that much playing experience last season but did a great job of doing the work so they could fill the holes.”
Garden City totaled 177 yards in the first half and did not play its starters in the second half. Its defense allowed only 52 yards on Manhasset’s five possessions and got a pair of takeaways. Blake Cascadden had a strip-sack that was recovered by Brady Karol. Stamati Makrinos forced another fumble that was recovered by Daniel Madjid.
“They run a weird offense. We had an extra week to prepare for that and it helped,” Considine said. “We were ready for some of the things they ran at us.”
Garden City drove 67 yards for Berkery’s 4-yard touchdown on the opening possession and then got the ball back by stopping Manhasset on downs. The ensuing drive went 71 yards in eight plays, capped by Berkery’s 13-yard score.
“The thing was, we knew we couldn’t come out slow,” Considine said. “Once we’d stopped them and went for another score, we saw it might go this way.”
The momentum only picked up as the Garden City offense continued to hum. The Trojans scored 34 points in the second quarter, including two touchdowns just 37 seconds apart after forcing a fumble.
Kianti Blacknell had a 1-yard touchdown run for Manhasset’s lone score.
“With the extra week off, our guys were really excited to get back on the field,” Ettinger said. “They wanted to get out under the lights and play this game, and they were really ready.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
