Lawrence back in title game

Lawrence and Plainedge will decide the Nassau Conference III football championship for a third straight year after both teams lit up the scoreboard at Hofstra in last Saturday’s semifinals.

Senior quarterback Joe Capobianco threw touchdown passes to four different receivers, giving him 97 for his career, including one to junior Jordan Fredericks who ran for 245 yards and three scores, to lead the second-seeded, two-time defending county champion Golden Tornadoes over No. 5 Glen Cove, 45-26. Top-seeded Plainedge followed with a 41-16 victory over No. 6 Floral Park, setting up a 2 p.m. showdown for the crown next Saturday at Hofstra.

“We came out with a bang going up by two touchdowns, but it wasn’t a great first half because we ended up making some silly mistakes,” said Capobianco, who completed 11 of 18 passes for 219 yards and no turnovers. “They got in our heads a little bit, but we kept our composure and played a real strong second half,” he added. “We did what we had to do, and we’re looking forward to Plainedge. We want a Three-Peat.”

Of Lawrence’s seven scoring drives, only one required more than five snaps and four took fewer than 35 seconds. It didn’t crack 10 minutes of possession time until the fourth quarter but still rolled up nearly 500 yards. “Cap is so accurate with his passes, and when he gets our skill guys the ball in space they’re going to take it as far as they can,” Golden Tornadoes head coach Joe Martillotti said. “They played man coverage on defense and we took advantage with some quick screens.”