Thursday, October 1, 2026
Trailing by 14 at the end of the first quarter, East Meadow came all the way back in the Nassau Conference II football quarterfinals Friday afternoon, defeating Calhoun 28-20 in a hard-earned victory.
The fourth-seeded Jets (6-3) defended their home field to extend their season and will play Garden City, riding a state-record 63-game winning streak, in the semifinals at Hofstra University next Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
“Little bit of a slow start, but this team settled in,” East Meadow head coach Keith Lizzi said. “They managed to find a way. We chipped at it, and I just kept telling them to win every quarter. We won the second and we came out and played really well in the third. We held on and made some big plays.”
The fifth-seeded Colts (6-3) silenced the raucous crowd with two early touchdowns. Quarterback Timmy Lynch connected with senior Brandon Meyers for a 23-yard touchdown to kick off the game, and running back Joseph Smith punched in a 1-yard score later in the quarter to put Calhoun ahead 14-0.
An interception by East Meadow junior Nick Schwabe flipped the script and gave the Jets possession at Calhoun’s 10-yard line, and with sudden momentum, it only took quarterback Trevor Smith two plays to put East Meadow on the board with a 6-yard run. The extra point failed, keeping Calhoun ahead 14-6.
The Jets quickly tied it after a fumbled punt attempt put the offense in business deep in Colts territory. Smith stepped up for his second rushing score with 4:12 remaining in the half. Running back James Galiano secured the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14.
“All week, we planned to run the ball, run the rock down their throat, and that’s exactly what we did,” Smith said. “We trust our offensive line and we trust our skills to do that job.”
The Jets ed for the first time midway through the third quarter. Smith conducted a 12-play drive, including a key fourth-down completion to senior Damian Daniels, that ended when Galiano found open space for a 12-yard rushing touchdown. The extra point from Adel DelJanin gave East Meadow a 21-14 lead.
On Calhoun’s next drive, East Meadow senior Marko Radalj, waiting in the wings for his moment all game, made a perfectly timed play on a screen pass and returned the interception 50 yards for what proved to be the game-sealing touchdown.
“Two or three plays before, I was getting ready,” Radalj said. “I was baiting the screen out. I saw the quarterback turn his head, so I went to the flat. I put my hands out and it went straight to my hands. That’s probably the biggest moment of my sports career.”
Calhoun didn’t fade away in the fourth quarter and responded to the interception with a nine-play drive that ended in a 10-yard touchdown reception by Joseph Belbol, making it a one-possession game again at 28-20.
The Colts’ final drive began with 2:26 remaining, and a sack by East Meadow junior Alex Lengu on third down effectively snuffed out their last bid.
Calhoun head coach Nick Rawls spent time after the game to offer personal farewells to nearly every player. Since taking over the program four years ago, this year’s seniors had become the backbone of his tenure. As their season came to an end, he wanted them to be remembered for one thing.
“Their resiliency,” Rawls said. “This is the toughest group of kids I’ve ever coached. I think this is my 18th year, and this is the most resilient group of young men I’ve ever had. They surprise me. They’re never out. The situation is never too big or too bad. They’re always in it, always fighting, always scraping.”
