Thursday, October 1, 2026
For the first time in nearly four years, Lawrence football is in the win column.
The Golden Tornadoes secured the storied program’s 550th all-time victory Thursday afternoon, defeating Oyster Bay/Friends Academy in a 38-36 thriller.
“Tears of joy and pure exhaustion,” a jubilant Lawrence head coach Akym Land said. “It doesn’t feel real yet. To see our kids celebrate and embrace each other was pretty special. We’ve been rolling with the punches and been through a lot together.”
Quarterback Khalil Brassell hit Tristian Darwin on a 14-yard touchdown pass and added the eventual game-winning 2-point conversion with 30 seconds remaining as Lawrence snapped a 28-game losing streak following a roller coaster preseason that included the cancellation of all home games for a second straight year and unstable participation numbers.
Those numbers rose to as high as 22 on the first day of classes and 16 took the field — the minimum allowed to avoid a forfeit — for the opener as Land said six kids still hadn’t reached the minimum 10 practices to suit up for a game.
Lawrence’s last win came Oct. 1, 2022.
“The perseverance these kids have shown is incredible,” said Land, who’s assisted by Danny Amaya, Brandon Patterson and Rob Verone. “A lot of them haven’t won a football games in their lives.”
Brassell, a senior, threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns and also added a rushing score and a pair of two-point conversions, both in the fourth quarter. On defense, he had a pair of interceptions including the game-sealing pick in the closing seconds.
“This is the feeling we want every time we step on the field,” Brassell said. “We wanted no part of overtime, so it was great to get the conversion. It was a read-option and I just followed Jeremiah [Ulloa] into the end zone.”
In addition to Darwin, a senior who had 9 receptions for 129 yards, Brassell hooked up with senior Dajahn Harris and sophomore Timothy Jiminez on scoring tosses. Harris had a 72-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter and finished with 97 receiving yards. Jiminez had Lawrence’s first touchdown of the season from 27 yards out.
“Offensively, we look pretty good,” Land said. “We have some things to clean up on defense and getting a few more bodies for the next game will help.”
Junior tailback Dilon Harris had a rushing touchdown and a 2-point conversion run. Senior Arnold Hernandez also had a 2-point conversion as the Golden Tornadoes had no options in the kicking department.
Senior two-way lineman Anthony Martinez had 9 tackles to lead the defense, while senior linebacker Michael Merritt added 5 stops.
The teams meet again in two weeks in Oyster Bay. Next up for Lawrence is a trip to Carle Place next Friday at 7 p.m.
