Lawrence one step from title

Senior quarterback Sean Moran rushed for 111 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Lawrence to a 55-0 victory over Hewlett in a Conference III semifinal at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium last Friday. 

With the victory, the Golden Tornadoes advanced to the county title game, where they will meet Plainedge (9-1) for the fourth consecutive season. Lawrence, which improved to 10-0, has won the previous three. Senior Jordan Fredericks ran for 122 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns, despite playing just a quarter before exiting with an injury.

Lawrence head coach Joe Martillotti gave Moran his due. “Sean is a very good football player, he just gets overshadowed by Jordan,” Martillotti said. “But everyone gets overshadowed by Jordan. We had nearly 460 yards rushing, so most of the yards came from guys other than Jordan. The key to the offense is the quarterback. There are a lot of reasons why Sean is our starting quarterback. He makes a lot happen for us.”

The Golden Tornadoes erased any chance of a Hewlett upset early on in the contest. Fredericks ran for a pair of touchdowns, the second of which was a 45-yard scamper, to give Lawrence a quick 14-0 lead in the opening quarter. Unfortunately for Fredericks, his night came to an end when he sprained his left shoulder in the waning moments of the first quarter.

With Fredericks on the sidelines, Moran took over. The left handed signal-caller hooked up with senior Tevine Johnson for a 10-yard touchdown reception to start a 27-point second quarter that gave the Golden Tornadoes a 41-0 lead at the break. Moran was 5-for-10 for 75 yards through the air. Linebackers Victor Mintz and Simon Jones were dominant on defense.

Hewlett head coach Jay Iaquinta gave Lawrence all the credit. “They’re a well-rounded team with extraordinary players,” Iaquinta said. “They were faster than us, stronger than us, and beat us on the line of scrimmage. It was still a successful year for us. We had some injuries, and had to overcome some adversity. Just getting to Hofstra was a big accomplishment for us.”

Hewlett, which finished 6-4, won tight games against Bethpage and Glen Cove late in the regular season to earn a playoff berth. Tredd Smith, who set school records for tackles in a season and in a career, earned All-County honors. Jeremy Leguillow and Mike Curiel were named All-County Honorable Mention recipients, while Jeff Rizzo and Messiah Clark were All-Conference selections.

The Golden Tornadoes handed Plainedge a 34-16 loss when the teams met back in October. The Red Devils feature Davien Kuinlan. The junior quarterback has scored 28 touchdowns, and is second in the county with 1,914 yards rushing. Plainedge advanced to the finals with a 28-27 win over Bethpage.  

When the teams meet on Friday at Hofstra at 7 p.m., the Golden Tornadoes will be seeking their 10th county title, and seventh in nine years.