Carey football's Justin DePietro runs for 4 TDs, Sal D'Amato-Vince Vicari connection keys win over Calhoun
Quarterback Sal D’Amato of Carey rushes out of the pocket in the first quarter of a Nassau Conference II football matchup against Calhoun on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026 in Franklin Square. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
The Carey offense is known for running the football. But Friday afternoon, the Seahawks showed they could do plenty of damage through the air, too.
Senior quarterback Sal D’Amato completed all nine of his passes for 170 yards and a touchdown, and senior wide receiver Vince Vicari caught six passes for 131 yards and a score as host Carey defeated Calhoun, 43-12, in Nassau Conference II.
The Seahawks improved to 5-0 behind a balanced offensive attack that also featured four rushing touchdowns from Justin DePietro.
“Obviously, we’re great friends outside of the football field, but on the field, it clicks, too,” D’Amato said of his connection with Vicari. “Finally getting going with him. … When he’s going, I’m going, and when we’re going, the whole team’s going. So it’s just a link between all of us together as one.”
Carey held a 7-0 lead after DePietro’s 9-yard touchdown run with 2:46 left in the first quarter. Calhoun drove to the Carey 37-yard line before Vincent Ginex broke up a pass on fourth-and-11.
On the next play, D’Amato lofted a deep pass to Vicari off play-action, and he took it 62 yards for a touchdown to give Carey a 14-0 lead with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
“We’ve been repping that play all week,” Vicari said. “I relied on our line and Sal to throw a great ball, and he did. Then it was just open field.
“We obviously run the ball a lot,” he added. “We have Justin, who in my opinion is the best player on Long Island. I was happy to have contributed today, but I’m just happy we won the game.”
Carey coach Mike Stanley said it was the best offensive performance of the season from D’Amato and Vicari.
“We need to give him more touches,” Stanley said of Vicari. “We need to spread it around a little bit more, and that was kind of the thought coming in today. … Sal runs the show, and he distributed a little bit better today. We were a little more balanced than normal, which was good for us.”
Carey’s Dylan Blott recovered an onside kick after the 62-yard touchdown. Six plays later, DePietro scored on a 7-yard run to extend the lead to 21-0 with 9:38 left in the second quarter.
Calhoun (2-3) responded when Jacob Fortin connected with Ryan Ruisi for a 69-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 8:08 left in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 21-6.
On the following drive, DePietro burst up the middle for a 24-yard gain on fourth-and-1 before adding a 7-yard touchdown run on the next play. Carey led 29-6 at halftime.
DePietro rushed for 101 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries. David Avila added 89 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
DePietro often draws the attention in Carey’s offense, and his four touchdowns showed why. But seeing his classmates deliver their best performances of the season made the victory even sweeter.
“These are my best friends,” DePietro said. “Seeing them ball just makes me so happy.”
