Will Garden City or Sayville bend in the Long Island Class III championship?
Michael Berkery #16, Garden City running back, rushes for a gain during the first quarter of the Nassau Conference III championship against Manhasset at Shuart Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Credit: James Escher
Fifty-three and counting.
The Garden City winning streak that started five years ago has made its way to another Long Island championship game.
The Trojans will take Long Island’s longest win streak of all time and put it on the line against a formidable opponent in undefeated Sayville, a program filled with its own winning tradition, for the right to capture the Long Island Class III title at noon on Saturday at Stony Brook University's LaValle Stadium.
“Sayville is a super team,” Garden City coach Dave Ettinger said. “They’re well coached and it’s going to take an incredible effort to beat them. No one is running the ball with success against them.”
Garden City (11-0), which has won three successive L.I. Class II titles, has great respect for Sayville (11-0), which has won seven of nine appearances in the LIC, the last title coming in 2022.
And yet their respective paths have never crossed.
“They have balance in the offense and the defense is fast and physical,” Ettinger said. “We’ll have to play our best game.”
Garden City’s game is all about winning.
The Trojans averaged 43 points per game and the defense allowed five points per game. They were tested only once this season in a 29-14 win over Manhasset and starters are usually pulled at halftime.
The Trojans are led by senior halfback and Thorp Award winner Michael Berkery, who scored six touchdowns in last week’s Nassau III win over Manhasset.
“We have to play mistake free football and see what we can do that no one else could do against them,” Sayville coach Reade Sands said. “No one has come out and punched them in the face and made a statement. We take nothing for granted, they are the team to beat on Long Island. No one has challenged them.”
Sayville would like to be the streak buster. The Golden Flashes average 44 points per game and have balance in the offense with senior halfback Kyle Messina and junior quarterback Patrick Coan. Messina has rushed 1,722 yards and 26 TDs and is a physical runner gaining yards after contact.
“They’re balance is impressive,” Ettinger said. “We play a disciplined defense, and this will be our biggest test.”
Both coaches know the key to winning the LIC lies on the defensive side of the ball.
“Our defense has to take the middle away from them,” Sands said. “We must stop the power run. They impose their will on opposing teams.”
Garden City has been doing that successfully for five years.
GARDEN CITY ROSTER
No. Player Grade Pos.
10 Ryan Haniffy 11 QB/DB
11 Justin Baiker 11 RB/DB
12 Declan Wuchte 12 QB/DB
14 Anthony Asaro 10 RB/LB
15 Taylor Minuto 12 WR/DB
16 Michael Berkery* 12 RB/DB
17 Brayden Robertiello 10 QB/DB
18 Brandon Plunkett 12 TE/LB
19 James Flynn 11 WR/DB
20 Jimmy Trocchia* 12 RB/LB
21 Blake Cascadden* 12 RB/LB
22 Julian Galli 12 WR/DB
23 Merit Ruckh 11 WR/DB
24 Gianluca Ingrassia 11 RB/DB
25 Chris Sarkis 12 WR/DB
26 Daniel Medjid* 12 WR/DB
27 Connor Schieck 12 RB/DB
28 Gavin O’Donohue 12 RB/LB
30 Will Mattice 11 RB/DB
31 James Barry 11 WR/DB
32 Owen Andersen 11 RB/LB
33 Owen Wuchte* 12 RB/DB
34 Gavin Lawe 12 RB/LB
35 Luke Cascadden 12 WR/DL
36 Christopher Desiderio 11 K
37 Chase Kraus 11 RB/DB
38 Kevin Thorne 11 WR/DB
39 Matt Uhoda 11 WR/DB
41 Scott Nelson 12 WR/DB
42 Patrick Van Blenis 12 WR/DB
43 Andrew Dengler 10 TE/LB
44 Angelo Cupani 11 RB/DL
52 Jake Brown 11 TE/LB
54 Ken Breglio 12 OL/DL
55 Brady Paskewitz 12 OL/DL
56 Matteo Ingrassia 10 OL/DL
58 Matthew Morales 12 OL/DL
62 Jake Schlipf 12 OL/LB
65 TJ Cooke 12 OL/DL
68 Willing Curley 10 OL/DL
70 Luke Agrippina 10 OL/DL
71 James Logler 11 OL/DL
72 Mark Gemmell 11 OL/DL
73 James Sullivan 11 OL/LB
74 Leighton Gouveia 11 TE/DL
75 Conor Fortney 11 OL/DL
76 Luke Lesueur 12 OL/DL
77 Daniel Morizio* 12 OL/DL
78 Zach Olson 11 OL/DL
80 Andrew Erigo 11 WR/DB
85 Luke Feeney 12 WR/DB
88 Matt Kneafsey 12 TE/DL
89 Ryan Campbell 12 TE/DE
Head Coach: Dave Ettinger
Assistant Coaches: Steve Finnell, Ray Chaputian, Ryan Boelsen
* Denotes Captains
SAYVILLE ROSTER
No. Player Grade Pos.
0 Donovan Bartolotta 12 WR/DB
1 Stash Chorowski 12 WR/DB
2 Dylan Kent* 12 WR/DB
3 Jack Dolan 11 TE/LB
4 Keith Kolar 11 RB/LB
5 Frankie Miller 12 WR/DB
6 Tomas McCann* 11 WR/DB
9 Kyle Messina* 12 RB/LB
10 Carlos Garcia 12 WR/DB
11 Michael Carmody 12 WR/DE
12 Ben Proscia 11 QB/DB
13 Richard DelGiorno 12 WR/DB
14 Luke Neugebauer 11 WR/DB
15 Anthony Bonfanti 12 WR/DB
16 Frankie Hanley 9 QB
17 Patrick Coan 10 QB/DB
18 Patrick Savelli 11 WR/DB
19 Jake Arato 10 WR/DB
21 John Clampett 11 RB/LB
22 Tristan Vitale 11 RB/DB
23 Leo Mongiello 12 RB/LB
24 Gabriel Bethea 11 WR/DB
25 Colin Darling 10 WR/DB
26 Connor Batterberry 10 RB/DB
27 Timothy Holohan 9 RB/DB
28 Cole Finder 10 WR/DB
32 Mikey Sands* 12 TE/LB
33 Ryan Sison 10 TE/DE
34 Cole Canterella 10 TE/LB
35 Matthew Damone 10 WR/DB
37 Joseph Kohn 12 OT/DE
39 Clarkson Richter 11 OG/DT
40 Liam Toomey 9 WR/DB
42 Ryan Linker 10 TE/LB
45 Shane Gouldsberry 9 WR/LB
50 Alex LaBella 11 C/DE
51 Benjamin Kloska 10 OL/DT
52 Luke Leach 10 OL/DL
53 Chase Neugebauer 9 OT/DE
54 Dylan Williams 11 OL/DE
55 Alex DelGiorno 12 OG/DT
57 Jack Alliegro 12 OL/DE
58 Patrick O’Brien 11 TE/DE
59 John Anduszkiewicz 9 OL/DL
60 Carson Loughlin 11 OL/DE
61 Daniel Yasinski 10 OL/DE
62 Joseph Donovan 10 OL/DL
63 Conner McBride 10 OL/DL
64 Brody Doxcee 12 OG/DT
65 Connor Pfaff 10 OL/DL
66 Michael Caporaso* 12 OG/DT
67 Trevor Chichester 10 OL/DL
68 Michael Morgan 9 OG/DT
69 Austin LaRosa 11 OG/DT
72 Richard Fontenetta 11 OT/DT
73 Dylan Lutz 11 C/DT
74 Philip Kolar 10 OL/DL
75 Robert Russo 12 OG/DT
76 Brady Dolan 11 OT/DE
77 Javen Taff 10 OT/DE
78 Samuel Wilbert 12 OT/DE
80 Caiden Ramirez 10 WB/LB
81 Colt Ricevuto 10 WR/DB
82 Robert Hoss 10 WR/DB
85 Colin McCormick 10 WR/DB
88 Nicholas Watson 12 K
Head Coach: Reade Sands
Assistant Coaches: Rob Hoss, James Knote, Kevin Noonan, Zach Gallo
Assistant Coaches: Matt Starr, Pat O’Connor, William Lutcha
* Denotes Captains
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
