The Manhasset High School (Photo courtesy of the Public Domain)
To beat a football team that hasn’t lost in five years, just about everything has to be perfect.
Runs must be quick and decisive. Passes must be crisp, catches must be clear. And on defense, tackles must be complete and not allow any big plays.
Yes, it takes a perfect game to beat Garden City, winners of 53 straight in Nassau County.
Manhasset thought it might just have the stuff to end the streak. But a heap of mistakes in the first half of Saturday’s Conference III county title game (four turnovers) and way too much of the Trojans’ Michael Berkery, doomed Set.
Berkery scored five first-half touchdowns, and six total, as Garden City steamrolled Manhasset 49-14, at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
Manhasset (9-2) was vying for its first county title since 2021, but the turnovers were too much to overcome.
It was Garden City’s ninth straight county crown, and they’ll know play Sayville in the Conference III Long Island championship game at Stony Brook on Nov. 30.
“It’s so hard because you have to play your absolute ‘A’ game against them, and we didn’t play close to that today,” said Manhasset coach Jay Iaquinta. “It’s disappointing, I thought we’d come out a little better but what are you going to do, they’re a great team.”
Berkery, who has signed to play lacrosse at Villanova next year, scored five first-half touchdowns, all on the ground, and had 134 yards at halftime (203 for the game).
The Trojans were going for their 53rd straight victory; Garden City’s last loss was Nov. 30, 2019.
Manhasset, coming off a 42-20 win over Floral Park in the semis, a game in which coach Iaquinta said they played “the best offensive game since I’ve been here,” started as badly as possible on Saturday.
On its first play from scrimmage, a Melkonian pitch was high and fumbled, with Garden City recovering at the Manhasset 6-yard line.
On the next play Berkery ran it in for a touchdown, 20 seconds into the game.
On Manhasset’s next drive, another fumble at the Set 31 was recovered by the Trojans, and four plays later Berkery punched it in from the 2-yard line.
Before anyone’s hands even got cold in the stands, Manhasset was down 14-0.
“A championship game against Garden City, probably some nerves and butterflies at the start,” Iaquinta said. “We just didn’t have the ball enough because of the turnovers and kickoff problems.”
Manhasset finally got a drive going midway through the quarter, using screen passes and solid runs to get first and goal from the Trojans’ 10.
But on fourth and goal from the 3, Manhasset quarterback Kyle Melkonian was stuffed a yard short of the goal line.
Manhasset did have a glimmer of hope when Melkonian (9-for-11, 149 yards passing) hit Atif Heathington for a 14-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 14-7.
But on the Trojans’ next play, Berkery busted through a hole on the left side, then raced right as Manhasset tacklers tried to catch up. The Trojans’ back rumbled 64 yards for a score and that, effectively, was the game.
“He’s a great player. That’s why he won the Thorp Award last year,” Iaquinta said, referring to the honor given to Nassau’s best player. “He cut back against the grain and we over-pursued, and he ran away with it.”
Manhasset lost by only 15 in the regular season meeting between the teams, but couldn’t stay close in this one. Fumbles on two first-half kickoffs both resulted in Garden City touchdown drives, and the Trojans led 35-7 at the half.
Still, a 9-2 season and a spot in the county finals surely counts as a success. Iaquinta was quick to point out how far his upperclassmen have come.
“The senior class went 3-5 on JV, and the junior class went 1-7,” he said. “So for them to do what they’ve done this year, shows how hard they worked in the offseason. “To be playing here in the county championship game, speaks volumes about their character.”