Lawrence tops Hewlett in OT thriller

In field-goal range as time expired in the fourth quarter of a back-and-forth thriller last Friday night between neighboring Conference III football rivals, visiting Lawrence was forced to work overtime to escape Hewlett with a 39-33 victory in front of a spirited rain-soaked crowd.

On their first offensive snap of OT, after Hewlett failed to convert on fourth-and-goal, the Golden Tornadoes (4-0) won it on senior quarterback Akym Land’s 25-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Jordan Alexander. “It was Jordan’s only catch, but he’s a tremendous athlete and I knew he wouldn’t drop the ball,” Lawrence head coach Joe Martillotti said. “Hewlett was great up front tonight and we didn’t have a lot of time to throw, so we called a slant and Akym put it right where it needed to be.”

The Bulldogs (1-3), who trailed by as many as 16 points and led by as many as 11, had a chance to take the lead with 1:05 remaining but had a 36-yard field goal attempt miss wide-left. The hosts seemed to catch a break at the end of regulation when the clock ran out as Lawrence senior Bryan Tarrant sprinted out of the bounds at their 12-yard line, but a promising overtime possession ended with an incomplete pass from the 3.

“We played with a lot of emotion and fought hard,” Hewlett head coach Jay Iaquinta said.

Land and junior Chris Collier had a pair of touchdown runs apiece and senior Kevin Rodriguez booted two field goals and one extra point for the Golden Tornadoes, who travel to face top-seeded Wantagh next Saturday at 2 p.m. in a battle of undefeated teams. Hewlett, led by senior Wyatt McMahon’s two touchdowns, two sacks and a fumble recovery, will look to rebound on Homecoming against Glen Cove.

“We needed one more first down on the drive we went three-and-out in the fourth quarter,” said Iaquinta, referring to a series that ended with five minutes to go and Hewlett holding a 33-25 lead. “That would’ve taken more time off the clock and maybe we even go down and score again.”

Collier’s eighth touchdown of the season, a 6-yard scamper, came with 3:15 left and Lawrence pulled even on Danny Amaya’s two-point conversion grab. Hewlett was at the Golden Tornadoes’ 23 after a 57-yard run by senior quarterback Jake Levitz on the ensuing possession, but it only moved four yards on the next three plays.

The Bulldogs scored 27 straight points after falling behind 22-6 with 28 seconds left in the opening half. Senior Daniel Hillsberg’s 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown ignited the comeback. “Hillsberg is a game-breaker,” Iaquinta said. “He gave us some life going into halftime.”

McMahon sandwiched a pair of 2-yard touchdown runs in the third quarter around a safety, and Hewlett led 27-22 entering the fourth. Senior Jarel Wilson opened the final quarter with a 19-yard touchdown run to make it 33-22, but Lawrence scored the final 17 points to snag victory from the jaws of defeat.