Nassau Conference III football: Everything you need to know
The Carey defense of Christian Anaya of Carey (56) and Nicholas Medoro of Carey (21) tackle Matthew Biscardi of Mepham during a Nassau Conference II football game on Oct. 5, 2024. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Conference realignment always creates interesting situations. Last year, Garden City — the 2023 Class II Long Island champion — dropped to Nassau III due to lower enrollment, pairing it up with South Side, which won the conference in 2023.
This year, more enrollment changes have given Nassau III another remodeling, once again leaving it with two defending champions — only these ones come from the highest denomination.
Carey, which won the Class II Long Island Championship in 2024, has traded places with Garden City and moved down to Nassau III, while Garden City is back in Nassau II. In the opposite direction, Wantagh has moved up to Nassau III after winning the Class IV Long Island Championship, giving one conference half of Long Island’s titleholders.
Carey went 12-0 last year and defeated Half Hollow Hills East, 37-36, in the title game. Wantagh went 11-1 and beat Bayport-Blue Point, 29-21, in its championship matchup.
Having two defending county champions in one conference is a relatively common thing, but two defending Long Island champions in one is an oddity — especially considering that neither of them won it as a member of this conference.
“I could tell you, I’ve never coached in a conference where two different LI champs came from two different conferences,” Carey coach Mike Stanley said. “This is my 19th year. I don’t remember ever hearing or seeing it, but it’s pretty cool.”
Repeating as Long Island champions is going to be tough for both teams, as they know they will have to dethrone one another just to have a chance at maintaining that status.
“It makes it more difficult, but it also takes eyes off us a little bit, which is nice,” Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said. “When you’re a champion, people use you as a measuring stick. They play their best ball against you. Now, there’s two of us.”
Stanley and Sachs are focused on the challenges that their teams face this year, such as an unfamiliar slate of opponents and some big departures. Carey graduated its offensive line, quarterback and top wide receiver, while Wantagh lost 19 of its 22 starters, including Thorp Award winner Dylan Martini.
However, both teams return centerpiece-type players. Carey’s generally impenetrable defense returns the star linebacking duo of Justin DePietro and Christian Anaya, who combined for 28.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. DePietro will also lead the offense after rushing for over 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Luke Martini, Dylan’s brother, and senior Joe Nicholson will split carries after both of them averaged over 13 yards per touch last year.
INSIDE THE CONFERENCE
Coaching spotlight
Tommy Innes, Elmont
Two days before Elmont’s season begins on Sept. 13, Innes will be doing something vastly different from what he was doing on that day 24 years ago.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Innes, who had just graduated from Cortland that spring with a bachelor’s degree in economics, was working as a clerk at the New York Stock Exchange when two planes hit the Twin Towers. He escaped the city after the South Tower was hit and stayed in the finance business for another 15 years. However, at the halfway point in his career, the Great Recession hit in 2008, which made him rethink everything.
A history buff, Innes decided to change careers. By 2016, the Farmingdale native had earned his master’s from LIU Post and earned his teaching certification, so he quit his old trade. From 2017 through 2019, he taught part-time at Freeport and Farmingdale before eventually landing a full-time gig as a social studies teacher at Elmont. Fittingly, he also teaches economics. Between 2006 and 2017, he was also an assistant on Seaford’s coaching staff and got the head coaching job at Elmont in 2023.
He has found instant success there with an 11-7 record. He is also an assistant coach on Elmont’s varsity boys wrestling team.
Games to watch
Carey at South Side, Sept. 27, 2 p.m.: This game could very well be between a pair of 2-0 top-three seeds. However, South Side’s first two opponents — Clarke and Division — are competitive, mid-tier seeds with playoff aspirations. If South Side gets off to a tough start, this may already be a must-win home game against a defending Long Island champion.
South Side at Bethpage, Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m.: Two teams looking for a bounce-back year, both of whom love to run the ball. This game will feature a matchup between two of the best two-way linemen on the island in South Side’s Ryan Healey and Bethpage’s Jack Poppe.
Floral Park at Elmont, Oct. 4, 3 p.m.: Floral Park has a strong returning defense and an elite safety duo that can eliminate the deep ball. Elmont has a track team at receiver and a quarterback who loves to chuck it. Featuring the preseason five and four seeds, respectively, this game could greatly shape the playoff picture.
Wantagh at Carey, Oct. 25, 11 a.m.: Nassau III’s top two seeds, as well as a pair of reigning Long Island champions, convene for what may very well be a preview of the county final.
Division at Clarke, Nov. 1, 11 a.m.: In what will be their season finale, both teams may be fighting each other for the last playoff spot. A rebuilt Division team with a star quarterback will travel to take on another star quarterback who will be coming off consecutive tough matchups against Carey and Floral Park. Lots of potential for dramatics.
Five-year trend
Spring 2021: Manhasset
Fall 2021: Plainedge
2022: Plainedge
2023: South Side
2024: Garden City
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
