Lawrence's Fredericks wins Thorp

From his days with the Inwood Buccaneers to four varsity campaigns for Lawrence’s Golden Tornadoes, Jordan Fredericks has always made his mark on the football field.

A week after being named as the Gatorade Player of the Year for New York State, Fredericks added Nassau’s most prestigious individual award. The dynamic senior who broke the county record for touchdowns in a career (98) and led Lawrence to a third straight Long Island championship was presented with the Thorp Award, given annually to the premier player in Nassau County, at the Coaches Association dinner on Dec. 10.

“It’s a great honor to win the Thorp,” said Fredericks, who in his senior campaign rushed for 2,158 yards and a Long Island-leading 37 touchdowns. “I couldn’t have done this without my teammates and coaches. They all played a big role and made it possible.”

Fredericks, the first Lawrence player since Vaughn Sanders in 1995 to win the Thorp, capped his spectacular career by having a hand in all five offensive touchdowns in its come-from-behind 40-35 victory over Sayville in a highly anticipated Long Island Class III title game on Nov. 28 at Hofstra. He had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, along with a 26-yard touchdown pass, in the first half, and touchdown runs of 65 and 57 yards in the third quarter on the opening snaps of consecutive possessions.

“He’s the most talented kid to ever come through Lawrence in any sport,” Golden Tornadoes head coach Joe Martillotti said. “He’s a good student and just a great person.”

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Fredericks, who has verbally committed to Syracuse, scored on 12 plays of more than 50 yards this season. He also quarterbacked the team’s two-minute drill and passed for five scores. “He can really throw the ball with velocity and accuracy,” Martillotti said.

Fredericks, who served primarily as a receiver during his freshman and sophomore years, gained more than 7,500 all-purpose yards in his career. The Golden Tornadoes, winners of four straight Nassau Conference III crowns, compiled a record of 45-3 with him on the roster.

Of his 98 career scores, Fredericks said one still stands out in his mind. During his junior year against Plainedge, with the Golden Tornadoes pinned at their own 1, he took a shovel pass from quarterback Joe Capobianco and raced 99 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s the kind of player who could take it to the house at any time,” Martillotti said.