By TONY BELLISSIMO
The Golden Tornadoes (8-1) went three-and-out on their first possession but scored on six straight possessions thereafter. They'll meet MacArthur, a 33-7 winner over Hewlett, in the championship game this Sunday at noon at Hofstra.
The kids couldn't have been more focused, defensive coordinator Chris Taylor said. We ran the ball well, threw for an early touchdown and got back to a balanced attack. On defense we had great pursuit and managed to keep a good, physical team off the scoreboard.
A year ago, Lawrence lost the Conference II final to South Side, 54-34. The Golden Tornadoes' last Nassau title came in 1997. The Generals (8-1) are looking for their first-ever crown.
Winning the championship has been our goal all along, Taylor said. All the coaches and kids have been working hard since the spring to get the team to this point. We played well today and hopefully we'll play at a high level next week.
Rushing and defense were the keys to victory against Carey. All told, Lawrence racked up 210 yards on the ground behind an offensive line that averages 250 pounds. Senior Anthony Decatus rushed for a game-high 87 yards and three touchdowns, including a 20-yard score that capped a 10-play, 67-yard drive to open the second half and gave the Golden Tornadoes a 33-0 lead.
The defense held Carey's standout tailback Tom Daddino to 86 yards on 18 carries. Senior linebacker Stewart Johnson intercepted two passes in the first half that led to 13 points, while seniors Brian Romanger (10 tackles) and Chris Collinates (five tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery) also stood out.
Daddino's a really strong runner and I thought we did a nice job up front against him, Taylor said. We may have caught a break because their other top kid [Jim Feaster] was out, but we were prepared for anything they were going to throw our way.
There was no looking back after Lawrence senior quarterback Tony Lopez threw for the first time. With the Seahawks playing one-on-one in the secondary, senior wide receivers Chris Bone and Sheldon Nunn were bound to produce. Bone got things started, catching a 45-yard touchdown pass with 4:16 left in the first quarter for the game's first score. He out-leaped Carey's Joe Coro and caught Lopez's pass at the 20, then raced untouched into the end zone.
Chris is one of our playmakers and he showed it there, Taylor said.
Back-to-back big plays by Johnson helped Lawrence build a comfortable halftime lead. Already leading 13-0 after Decatus' first touchdown, Johnson stepped in front of Carey wideout Ron Pickett and intercepted T.J. Lopez's pass and returned it to the Seahawks' 8-yard line. Two plays later, Johnson scored on a 2-yard run.
Johnson picked off another pass in the red zone on Carey's next play from scrimmage. This time it led to Tony Lopez's 1-yard scoring run that made it 27-0 with 6:35 left in the half.
We might not have played up to standards in the last two regular-season games, Taylor said, but we definitely got back on track.
Lawrence pounded the ball at the Seahawks in the second half behind linemen Cory Malone, Charles Lombardo, Justin Zydor, Scott Brevet and Romaine Walton. Johnson finished with 68 yards, Lopez 25 and Calvin Thompson 21.
Carey pushed around some of its opponents during the year, Taylor said. This is a real quality win.
