Owls upset top-seeded Lawrence

It was only four minutes into the second quarter and Lynbrook found itself down three touchdowns on the road to Conference III top-seed Lawrence. But the No. 5-ranked Owls stormed back with a punishing rushing attack, scoring 42 unanswered points to upset the Golden Tornadoes, 49-35, on Sept. 17.

Lynbrook senior quarterback Tom DeNapoli led the comeback for the Owls, rushing for 214 yards and a career-high five touchdowns on 21 carries. “We were down 21 and our guys responded,” Owls coach Steve LoCicero said. “I thought we played well and this is a huge win for our program. Lawrence is a well-coached and resilient team. I tip my hat to a very good football team.”

Lynbrook’s offense moved the ball well all day but squandered two early red-zone opportunities in the first quarter. It turned it over on downs at the Lawrence six-yard line, then senior quarterback T.J. Virgona threw an interception at the Lawrence 13. Virgona threw another pick with 48 seconds left in the quarter and Lawrence junior defensive back Seidrik Ervin returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. Lawrence quarterback John Kinder ran for a score with 8:14 left in the half, and the Owls found themselves down 21-0.

Lynbrook responded with a 51-yard drive, scoring on a four-yard run by DeNapoli with 6:37 left in the second quarter to get on the board. On the Owls’ next possession, DeNapoli and senior running back Matt Wohlmacher led another scoring drive capped by a 30-yard touchdown run by DeNapoli. Lawrence fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Wohlmacher and DeNapoli once again led the rushing attack, with DeNapoli rushing for a game-tying five-yard touchdown with 1:47 left in the half. The next kickoff resulted in another Lawrence turnover, and the Owls cashed in after the on-side kick. Wohlmacher bulldozed his way in for a go-ahead, five-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left in the half. Lynbrook scored on the two-point conversion and went up 29-21, a lead it would never surrender.

Golden Tornadoes coach Lou Andre thought the game turned on the on-side kick. “That’s where it got away from us,” he said. “We knew they were going to squib it. We just didn’t make the play.”

In the second half, DeNapoli added touchdown runs of 12 and 43 yards. Lynbrook junior running back Travis Lock added a score of his own, busting out a 60-yard touchdown run with 6:06 left in the game.

LoCicero lauded DeNapoli for his monster game, but without the contributions of offensive linemen Joe Venezia, Jaime Hirsch, Mike Calderone, Kevin Burke and Peter Lecce, the day may have been different. “It’s all the O-line,” DeNapoli said. “They opened up huge holes, so the credit has to go to my team.”

Saturday is Homecoming for the Owls (2-0) as they host Manhasset at 1:30 p.m.  

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