Owls keep playoff hopes alive

It’s been an up and down season on the gridiron for Lynbrook, but the Owls are playing their best football when it matters most and would earn a Nassau Conference III playoff spot with a win over visiting Plainedge in this Saturday’s regular-season finale.

Senior Danny Kelly had a night to remember last Saturday at Marion Street School when he led Lynbrook to a 38-20 victory over Hewlett. Kelly amassed 302 yards on the ground and five touchdowns on a team single-game record 42 carries. 

“We’re hitting our stride at the right time,” head coach Steve LoCicero said after the Owls won for the second time in three games and improved to 3-4. “I’ve been impressed by the teamwork we’ve showed all season long, and we’ve played our best football over the last three weeks.”

Working behind a front five comprised of Matthew Boll, Chris Roepken, Matt Hennessy, Chris Francia and Timothy Yale, Kelly averaged nearly five yards per touch in topping the 190-yard mark for a third straight game. His longest score of 48 yards came in the third quarter and gave the hosts a 24-14 lead. He even completed a 15-yard pass to Matt Mott.

“Danny’s our top back and had an incredible game,” LoCicero said. “We changed our blocking scheme, and the guys up front were tremendous.

“The running game stood out, but it was more than that. We played strong in all three phases.”

Senior Pedro Martinez went 5-for-5 on extra points and also booted a 33-yard field goal. Senior Kevin Estrada (10 tackles, one sack) and junior Kevin Lann (nine stops, one sack) led the defense, which also got seven tackles apiece from Mott, Griffin Kelly, Nick LoCicero and Austin Billelo.