Lawrence tops Hewlett, now 6-0

Defending Nassau Conference III champion Lawrence continued its dominance on both sides of the football last Friday evening, making cross-town rival Hewlett its most recent victim with a 35-7 road victory in blustery conditions.

Junior quarterback Joey Capobianco led the way with three passing touchdowns, including a pair to senior Eddie Robinson, and one rushing score as the Golden Tornadoes ran their winning streak to six games, while the Bulldogs lost their third straight to fall to .500. Senior Tyler Fredericks added 164 yards on the ground, and sophomore Simon Jones (11 tackles) and senior Akil Mavruk (10) led a vastly improved defense that hasn’t allowed a point in 2012 with its starting unit on the field.

“We’ve played great and are looking forward to Plainedge,” Lawrence head coach Joe Martillotti said. “Hewlett played us well, because they kept the ball out of our hands. We had seven possessions and were able to score on five of them.”

A rematch of last year’s county title game takes place this Saturday at 2 p.m. when Plainedge comes to town for a battle of undefeated teams. Last Nov. 19 at Hofstra, the Golden Tornadoes scored 31 unanswered points to take the championship, 64-34. They also put up 56 points in a regular-season victory over the Red Devils last fall.

“They do some nice things on offense,” Martillotti said. “They can run the ball and throw it. So far, we’ve faced teams that mainly do one or the other.”

Plainedge’s defense pitched a shutout last Saturday against Floral Park, 21-0, but will face its biggest test since the team’s Week 4 win at Hewlett. Capobianco has been on fire, completing 59 of 73 passes (80.8 percent) for 1,081 yards and 18 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He capped an opening 83-yard drive last Friday with a 16-yard scoring strike to senior John Ganas.

“Joey’s got a cannon arm and can thread the needle,” Martillotti said. “He’s been locked in all year long. He sees the entire field and checks down on receivers as well as anyone I’ve seen.”

Explosive sophomore Jordan Fredericks busted a 55-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and it was 21-0 at halftime after Robinson’s 10-yard scoring catch and senior Mike Fragner’s third of five successful extra points. In the second half, Capobianco added a 15-yard touchdown run and found Robinson for a 31-yard score. Hewlett, which plays a pivotal game at Lynbrook this Saturday at 8 p.m., scored on a 43-yard run by junior Kevin Fuchs.