A week after Lawrence became the first Nassau County high school football team to reach 500 wins, an unlikely hero emerged in victory No. 501 that will forever have a place in Golden Tornadoes history.
Kicker Daniel Reiskin’s 27-yard field goal as time expired gave Lawrence a miraculous come-from-behind 28-27 victory over top-seeded Plainedge in the Nassau Conference III championship game at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium last Saturday afternoon. It’s the third straight year the Golden Tornadoes beat the Red Devils for the crown.
“We thought there was a chance it could come down to a kick,” Lawrence head coach Joe Martillotti said. “It was something we prepared for all week in practice. As we were moving into field-goal range, I turned to Dan and asked if he could do it. He nodded, and then he went out there and knocked it through.”
It was the first career field goal for Reiskin, a senior standout on the soccer field who netted 10 goals this fall and helped Lawrence capture a conference title. “I was so excited I wanted to cry, but I couldn't cry,” Reiskin said. “It’s mind-blowing and something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Reiskin wasn’t the only one to provide heroics on the winning drive. The second-seeded Golden Tornadoes (10-1) faced a fourth-and-10 at their own 25 with just over a minute remaining when senior quarterback Joe Capobianco hit senior Sean Moran deep over the middle for a 43-yard gain to the Plainedge 32. Capobianco (15-for-27, 223 yards, two interceptions) then completed three more passes to set up the winning kick.
“What an unbelievable kick,” said Capobianco, who didn’t add to his all-time Long Island passing touchdown mark of 97 but scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put Lawrence ahead 25-21 in a game that featured four lead changes.
Junior Jordan Fredericks ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns for Lawrence, which advances to face Huntington (8-3) in the Long Island Class III championship game next Saturday at noon at Stony Brook University.
Martillotti said Fredericks was used as a decoy on the final drive, which began with 2:18 to go after the Red Devils punted on fourth-and-2 from their own 44. “We knew they were going to focus on not letting Jordan beat them,” Martillotti said. “That opened some other things for us.”
