Justin DePietro's all-around physicality leads Carey to a Nassau III football victory
Carey's Justin dePietro runs for a gain at the Nassau High School Conference 3 football game between Carey and Elmont ,on Friday October 10, 2025 in Franklin Square Credit: Neil Miller
You want hard-nosed football? Just watch Justin DePietro and the Carey Seahawks play.
“I’m just trying to hit someone every single play, and that’s the mentality I have,” DePietro said. “I want to make them feel my presence, and there’s just no other way of putting it.”
DePietro did that as a runner, blocker and defender on Friday. He had 78 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, a sack on defense and was the lead blocker for a Carey rushing attack that amassed well over 200 yards.
Host Carey defeated Elmont, 29-6, to stay undefeated in Nassau Conference III football.
The Seahawks' defense set the tone immediately in the first quarter, bringing immense pressure to Elmont quarterback Aiden Barnes and recorded three sacks.
“Well, we had to make him uncomfortable,” Carey coach Mike Stanley said. “He’s a tremendous athlete and has great receivers, and our guys did a great job getting after the quarterback.”
Kelvin Persaud came away with two of those sacks in the first two drives to force the Elmont offense off the field.
“It feels great to get two sacks in the first quarter,” Persaud said. “It’s just great to get the team riled up and have everyone hyped. We had a lot of momentum and were physical.”
DePietro broke a 33-yard run to set up the Seahawks deep in Elmont territory, and Joncarlo Carbone opened the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left in the first quarter.
Tristan Hickis had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for Carey on a drive aided by an Elmont personal foul with Carey set to punt on a fourth-and-18. Carbone converted a fourth-and-3 on the ensuing play before Hickis' touchdown.
DePietro barreled his way for a 2-yard touchdown run to give Carey a 22-0 lead at halftime as the offensive line was dominant up front. The Seahawks' offensive success continued into the third quarter where Carey (5-0) ran the ball seven straight plays to drive deep into Elmont territory. The drive took more than six minutes and ended with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Hickis to Jayden Radow.
Hickis, who wasn’t the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season, had both a passing and rushing touchdown and credited his offensive line for the team’s success.
“You can’t make plays without people blocking for you,” Hickis said. “These are my best friends, and on every big play, it’s the offensive line up front.
“And if you ever need a big guy to go run at someone, Justin is the man for that. He’s huge, and he’s like a blanket.”
Elmont (1-4) suffered its second straight loss as it approaches the final three games looking to make the playoffs.
“We just have to keep playing football and execute,” Elmont coach Tommy Innes said. “We have to let the cards fall where they may for the playoffs, and I’ve said this before — I trust these guys. We just have to play good football.”
Carey has won 17 straight games and remains atop Nassau III.
“Over and over, we’ve seen a lot of guts and grit from our guys,” Stanley said. “It hasn’t been easy any week. We’ve been banged up, but we’ve played tough and physical, and I’m just happy for our guys.”
