Lawrence Golden Tornadoes Football: A Look Back at the 2011 Season

The Golden Tornadoes boasted a dynamic offense all season long, but the way it ended 2011 was hardly expected by many.

Lawrence finished with a 10-2 overall record with a to its name after a 64-34 win over Plainedge to avenge a finals defeat at the hands of Lynbrook just a season ago.

“That early loss to Bethpage was devastating, but it had put us in our right mind from then on,” said senior Ryan Fredericks, referring to the team’s second game of the season that ended in a 37-19 upset to Bethpage. “Our offensive line was amazing. They really knew how to open up the holes and we just read our blocks and took it to the end zone.”

At the at Stony Brook, Lawrence had its hands full with undefeated Sayville in what would become a record-setting day for both sides. Although the Suffolk champ came out on top, Lawrence walked away full of pride and a valiant effort shown to all.

While senior Ryan (29 total TD) and junior Tyler Fredericks (27 total TD) dominated in the rushing attack for the first 11 games, sophomore quarterback Joey Capobianco set several records in a 78-61 loss in the LIC finals. He now holds the all-time mark on Long Island for passing yards in a championship game (541), touchdown passes (seven) and completions (27). Junior wide receiver Eddie Robinson amassed 238 yards, also a record, and three scores. Lawrence as a team gained 667 net yards in the game, yet another record in the courageous effort.

“He [Capobianco] is kind of a quiet leader,” said Joe Martilotti, Lawrence second-year head coach. “He tells the guys what we have to do, and he gets it done. He is the general out there, and for a sophomore, he has done a great job.”

Learning From Their Mistakes

The road to the finals was not an easy one for the Golden Tornadoes, taking a hit in its second game versus Bethpage. In the next game on Sept. 24, Lawrence trailed 35-34 at halftime to , but rallied to score 20 points in the second half to win 54-35. There began the road to the final game on Nov. 27.

“Since the start of the season, we kept our offensive line the same and we kept getting better and better,” said Derek Jacobs, a senior guard. “It was great blocking for the Fredericks brothers running the ball. We all work as a family around here.”

It was no secret that the team's offense could move the rock, but Martilotti continued to stress the importance of defense. That would prove to be a learning process, but in turn, a successful one.

“We started off the year very good defensively, and when we lost Chris Hercules, we struggled for a few weeks trying to find a defensive identity,” Martilotti said. “We moved some guys around and it took a few weeks to gel together.”

Lawrence improved to 4-1 following high-scoring wins against Glen Cove and Plainedge. On Oct. 15, in a 35-7 road win against Floral Park, it all finally came together. Losing the All-State linebacker Hercules earlier in the season was a huge blow, but other defenders, such as Matt Leone and Kenny Perez, successfully filled the void.

“We all felt like we had to step up and just be ready,” Perez said.

For Leone, he took on a variety of positions with a shorthanded defense.

“The attitude during practice was a lot better than what it was,” Leone said. “We were all more focused and knew what we had to do.”

When the Fredericks were dominating on offense, another set of siblings, junior Akil Mavruk and freshman brother Malik, held down the defensive line that was critical to help Lawrence go as far as they did in 2011.

Lawrence clinched a No. 2 seed, and despite giving up 72 combined points to its first three playoff opponents (Hewlett, Lynbrook and Plainedge), Lawrence more than doubled that at 155. The total included a season-high 64 points in the finals at Hofstra to cruise to the county title.

Although Lawrence was on the short end of what was a memorable LIC game, the Golden Tornadoes are officially on the Long Island football map for years to come.