By TONY BELLISSIMO
It was the first time the Golden Tornadoes had been behind at halftime all season, but in the second half they showed what they're all about. They scored 19 unanswered points en route to repeating as county champs with a 25-7 victory over the Trojans in a rematch of last year's final. Senior quarterback P.J. Preziosa had touchdown runs in the third and fourth quarters for Lawrence, which improved to 10-0 and advanced to face East Islip in the Long Island Class II title game on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Hofstra.
"I couldn't be more proud of these kids," said Lou Andre, who has coached Lawrence to 20 wins in its last 21 games. "Beating Garden City twice in the same season is a difficult thing to do. They outplayed us in the first half. We were tentative. I thought we came out a little afraid to lose, but we settled down and had a big scoring drive against the wind that really helped."
The Golden Tornadoes, who last year defeated Bellport 28-27 at Stony Brook University to take the L.I. Class II crown, fell behind 7-0 midway through the opening quarter and were forced to punt on each of their first four possessions. They finally broke through with 5:02 remaining in the first half, when Preziosa rolled out of the pocket on a third-and-3 from the Garden City 43 and found Conrad Stewart downfield. The senior wide receiver caught the ball at the 10 and raced into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra-point try missed, and Lawrence trailed 7-6 at halftime.
"Our kids were excited and knew they had nothing to lose," Garden City coach Tom Flatley said. "But they made plays at key points in the game."
Perhaps the biggest play of all was made by Lawrence senior Travis Kennedy midway through the third quarter. The Golden Tornadoes took the kickoff to start the second half and drove from their own 30 to the Garden City 22, but turned the ball over on downs when senior Justin Fredericks (75 yards rushing) was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1. On the next snap, Trojans quarterback Brendan Carroll floated a pass over the middle and Kennedy picked it off. That led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Preziosa and a 12-7 lead.
"I was glad to contribute," said Kennedy, who also intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter, giving him four picks in the playoffs. "Now I get to spend another week and play another game with my teammates. It's a great feeling."
After Lawrence's defense forced a punt, Fredericks, Kennedy and Preziosa sparked the offense on an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive in the face of a gusty wind. Preziosa capped the march with 9:19 to go when he followed the block of sophomore center Michael Stanya into the end zone from a yard out.
It was 19-7 when, on the next Trojans possession, senior defensive tackle Keith Goodluck pounced on a fumble at the Garden City 23. A 10-yard touchdown burst by Kennedy put the icing on the cake with 5:17 left to play.
"Our defense hung tough after their opening drive," Andre said. "Garden City had a great game plan. They used two tight ends at times and mixed things up. It took us a little while to get going, but once we did our, athleticism showed."
On an evening when the football was half frozen and difficult to grip, Preziosa completed 7 of 13 passes for 140 yards. Stewart had four receptions for 105 yards, as well as 37 return yards on special teams.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
Believe the hype Lawrence-East Islip
By TONY BELLISSIMO
This Friday's Long Island Class II football championship game between Lawrence and East Islip at Hofstra promises to be worth the price of admission, which happens to be $7. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m.
Both teams are 10-0, with their latest victories coming last Friday. The Golden Tornadoes repeated as Nassau Conference II champs by knocking off Garden City, 25-7. The Redmen topped West Islip in the Suffolk Division II final, 22-13. Last year's L.I. Class II title game was a thriller, with Lawrence nipping Bellport 28-27 at Stony Brook University.
"East Islip plays power football," Golden Tornadoes coach Lou Andre said. "It's important that we score first and see how they are under pressure."
Lawrence has outscored opponents by a 381-50 margin, while East Islip has enjoyed a 314-51 point differential. Both teams feature a well-balanced and explosive offense, plus a smothering defense so something has to give.
Between the air and ground, Golden Tornadoes senior quarterback P.J. Preziosa has amassed 27 touchdowns in 2007. He has seniors Justin Fredericks (14 touchdowns) and Travis Kennedy coming out of the backfield, plus a receiver corps led by seniors Conrad Stewart and Tom Blum, who have caught seven scoring tosses apiece. For the Redmen, senior quarterback Rob Calabrese has thrown for a school single-season record 31 touchdowns. Coach Sal J. Ciampi also has a prolific running game consisting of Jim Brown and Tim Moller.
"Our seniors have done an amazing job," said Andre, "and they've got one more battle on their hands."
Comments about this story? tbellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
