Stephen Jahelka rushes by the outstretched arms of Carey’s Brian Lima. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek-Newsphoto.com If you had to pick the Garden City High quarterback out of a lineup, you might not choose Matt Montgomery. He’s not six-four and he doesn’t weigh 200 pounds. In fact, he’s closer to five-ten and 170. What can’t be measured on a chart, however, is competitive spirit and the ability to come through when it matters most. In those categories, you’d pick Matt Montgomery every time.

Last Saturday at Warren King Field before a Homecoming crowd of about 2,000, Montgomery’s two touchdown passes plus a rushing TD led the undefeated (7-0) Trojans to an impressive 28-0 victory over rival Carey. The Seahawks came into the game with a 5-1 record, dreaming of first place, but left as the Trojans’ sixth shutout victim in seven games.

Matt Montgomery hands off to Stephen Jahelka.. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek- Newsphoto.com While Garden City’s defense and powerful running game have earned all of the accolades they have received, the senior quarterback is quietly having a brilliant season. The Carey game marked the fourth time this year that Montgomery has thrown two touchdown passes and he now has a total of 10. When the opposition has over-played the run, as the Seahawks did, Monty can be counted on to find one of his talented receivers such as Kevin Dachille, who caught two TD tosses in a span of 71 seconds in the final two and half minutes of the first half to break open a scoreless game.

Matt completed 8 of 13 passes for 100 yards and two TD’s and also rushed for 31 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers shouldn’t surprise anyone. For the season he is completing 60 percent of his passes and has four rushing touchdowns to go with his 10 TD tosses. But numbers -even good ones- don’t tell the whole story. Montgomery runs the multiple formation offense to perfection, including the difficult option plays which have helped halfback Brian Fischer showcase his considerable talent.

Kevin Dachille is airborne as he pulls in a Matt Montgomery pass for a touchdown. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek-Newsphoto.com While “Monty” may not look like the stereotypical quarterback, he is an outstanding all-around athlete. He’s been the Trojans’ point guard in basketball since his sophomore year, and is a speedy midfielder in lacrosse.

With a 14-0 halftime edge against a talented Carey team, Coach Flatley and offensive coordinator Bob Defliese turned to their running game. Montgomery culminated a nine-play, 62-yard third quarter drive with a one yard sneak to make it 21-0. Then with 9:31 left in the game, Stephen Jahelka blasted up the middle for a 44-yard touchdown. Topher DiBona’s fourth straight extra point ended the scoring.

Brian Fischer in action against Carey. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek-Newsphoto.com The Trojans wound up with some dominating numbers, outgaining Carey 311-131 and limiting the Seahawks’ outstanding halfback Greg D’Arienzo to just 67 rushing yards on 14 carries. D’Arienzo is the Conference’s leading scorer.

This Friday night the Trojans will complete their regular season by traveling to Levittown Division for a 7 p.m. night game against the Blue Dragons who are 4-3 and feature an excellent back, Dylan Muller, and a strong-armed quarterback, Sean Abate.

Matt Montgomery drops back to pass. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek-Newsphoto.com EXTRA POINTS: If the Trojans can complete the regular season undefeated, it would mark the 19th time they would have accomplished that feat... GC has outscored opponents, 247-3... Garden City has won 15 of 17 games against Carey and holds a 13-3-2 all-time lead over Division... DiBona missed a 22-yard field goal, but has made 30 of 34 extra points... Dachille leads the team with five TD receptions... The first round of the playoffs is tentatively set for Friday, November 6 at 3 p.m. at Warren King Field. The opponent will be determined by this week’s results, but Bellmore Kennedy or Mepham seem likely... The JV improved to 7-0 with an impressive 41-0 win at Carey. Coach Seth Messier’s squad closes its season this Saturday morning by hosting Division at 9:15 a.m... The 8th graders beat a strong Merrick Ave. team, 22-0... It was sad to hear of the passing of Jim Flynn, Class of 1975, after a long battle with cancer. Jim was one of the best runners in GC history and enjoyed a great track career at Villanova. This writer had the great pleasure of being his track coach at Garden City. He was the best distance runner I coached and an even finer gentleman.

Jared Mitchell in action for GC. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek-Newsphoto.com
Ryan Norton punting for the Trojans. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek-Newsphoto.com