By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Golden Tornadoes coughed up the ball three times in the first half, and the Redmen cashed in each time en route to capturing their first-ever L.I. crown before an estimated 5,500 spectators at Shuart Stadium.
"Turnovers and our inability to stop them on third down hurt us," Lawrence coach Lou Andre said. "We'd move the ball well and then sputter. It was a humbling end to a great season."
Central Florida-bound quarterback Rob Calabrese had a pair of scoring tosses to Tim Moller (199 total yards of offense) and ran for one touchdown to lead the way for East Islip, which led 28-7 at halftime and snapped Lawrence's 19-game win streak.
"It was almost unbelievable in the first half," Redmen coach Sal Ciampi Jr. said. "You don't expect that against a great team."
The first giveaway came on the first offensive snap of the game. Lawrence (10-1) ran a reverse and senior Travis Kennedy dropped the ball at the 30-yard line. It was recovered by East Islip's Dan Matos and led to a seven-play scoring drive that was capped by Jimmy Brown's 1-yard touchdown plunge on fourth down.
Then, as they've done so many times, the Golden Tornadoes struck quickly. They began their second drive at their 27 and needed only three plays to get even. After a penalty on East Islip and a short gain by senior Justin Fredericks, senior quarterback P.J. Preziosa and senior wideout Conrad Stewart hooked up for their eighth touchdown of 2007. Preziosa lofted a deep ball into double coverage, and Stewart caught it in stride at the 35 and raced untouched into the end zone. It was 7-7 after senior Vidal Bolanos drilled the extra point.
Lawrence had few highlights thereafter.
Calabrese, who had 96 yards rushing in the first half, picked up 46 on one play during the ensuing possession, which he capped with a 1-yard score with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter. "He's a real strong quarterback," Andre said. "What he was able to do wasn't a shock."
Calabrese then set up the first of Moller's three touchdowns when he intercepted a Preziosa pass at the East Islip 46. After Dan Behar sacked Calabrese to put the Redmen in a third-and-20 situation, the signal-caller scrambled for a 21-yard gain to the Lawrence 28. Three plays later he connected with Moller on a 13-yard touchdown. "We should have sacked him," Andre said of the crucial play. "But he got away."
Trailing 20-7, the Golden Tornadoes were on the move midway through the second quarter after senior Tom Blum's 34-yard catch. Preziosa followed with a 14-yard run to the East Islip 29, but Fredericks was stripped of the ball after a dump pass and Cory Gee pounced on it for the Redmen. Brown would then lead an impressive 78-yard touchdown drive that ended with Moller catching a 15-yard pass from Calabrese with 48 seconds left in the half.
Lawrence's comeback hopes were squashed late in the third quarter when it failed to get into the end zone on two tries from the 1. Moller's third touchdown was of the record-breaking variety. He burst through the middle for a 97-yard score, setting a new Long Island championship game record.
"It wasn't the way we wanted it to end," said Andre, "but it was still a great season."
At Tuesday's gridiron dinner at Crest Hollow Country Club, Lawrence, Farmingdale, Bethpage or Seaford will be awarded the Rutgers Cup, given to the most outstanding team in the county. The Golden Tornadoes took home the trophy in 2006, doing so for the first time since 1961.
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
Photos by Kathy Leistner/Herald
