Hewlett can't close door
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Hewlett senior Jason Canales tries to work past Lynbrook's Chris Traversa during last Saturday's Nassau Conference III semifinal game.
Kathy Leistner/Herald
Time was running out on Lynbrook’s dream season, but it never crossed the minds of senior quarterbacks T.J. Virgona and Tom DeNapoli.
The dynamic duo orchestrated a pair of touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter to lift the top-seeded Owls to a thrilling 28-27 come-from-behind win over Hewlett in a Nassau Conference III semifinal game at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium last Saturday.
Four plays after keeping the final drive — and season — alive with a desperation fourth-down throw as he was falling out of bounds, Virgona hit senior Ray Acevedo with a 6-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining to tie it, and Brendan Cohn’s extra point provided the difference.
“I just trusted my teammates and we got it done,” said Virgona, who hooked up with senior Chris McGrane for a 13-yard touchdown with 4:20 remaining to cut Lynbrook’s deficit to 27-21. “We’ve been in pressure spots many times before and we kept our composure,” he added.
The Owls (9-1), who last won a county championship in 1992, face No. 3 Lawrence (8-2) in the title game this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Hofstra. They defeated the Golden Tornadoes on the road, 49-35, on Sept. 17, after digging an early 21-point hole.
“Every season is a journey with pitfalls along the way,” Lynbrook coach Steve LoCicero said. “These kids have a great ability to handle adversity in a calm way. They have a tremendous amount of courage and they really rose to the occasion.”
It’s a tough loss to swallow for the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (6-4), who were a play away from victory when Virgona hit McGrane for a five-yard gain on fourth-and-3 from the Hewlett 33 to keep the final drive going with a minute to go.
“This team came a long way in the past two months,” Hewlett coach Jay Iaquinta said. “There’s nothing we can say to the kids now that’s going to make them feel better, but they had a great year and all the coaches are really proud of them.
“We played a strong game and were right there,” he added. “We just couldn’t stop them the last two times they had the ball.”
The Bulldogs, who beat Sewanhaka in the first round of the playoffs, scored on their first three possessions and led 20-7 at halftime. Junior quarterback Alex Kahn sandwiched a 1-yard touchdown plunge between senior Dylan Pastor’s 35- and 11-yard touchdown runs, and Hewlett’s defense forced three punts and got an interception from sophomore Sam Martorella.
“We had to make some adjustments at halftime,” LoCicero said. “They’ve got an excellent coaching staff that’s been together a long time and we knew we had our work cut out for us.”
DeNapoli, who rushed for 175 yards, brought Lynbrook within six with 3:25 left in the third quarter on a nifty 21-yard jaunt. The Bulldogs answered with senior Jason Canales’ 8-yard touchdown reception and took a 27-14 lead into the fourth, but they couldn’t shut the door. Hewlett’s possession that came between Lynbrook’s two late scores stalled when Owls senior Greg Fraistat stopped Pastor short on a third-and-two carry from his own 28.
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