Joe Capobianco breaks LI passing record in big win for Lawrence
Lawrence's QB Joe Capobianco throws over the middle against Lynbrook. (Oct. 19, 2013) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
As far as Joe Capobianco is concerned, records aren't made to be broken. They are made to become permanent family heirlooms.
"It's self motivation," the Lawrence quarterback said Saturday after he became Long Island's all-time leader in career passing yardage. "I don't want anyone to break my records. I want my kids to be able to see them in the record book."
Capobianco completed 14 of 17 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns and teammate Jordan Fredericks ran for 178 yards and four touchdowns, and hooked up with Capobianco on a 78-yard screen pass for a score as Lawrence defeated host Lynbrook, 47-28, in a key Nassau III football game.
"The Lawrence swagger is back," Capobianco said, mindful of his team's flat offensive performances the previous two weeks. "We made big plays and had some quick scores."
Capobianco made the first big play, from his own 4-yard line, when he burst up the middle for 51 yards on the first play from scrimmage for Lawrence (5-1). That sparked a 96-yard, eight-play scoring drive capped by a 10-yard fade from Capobianco to Sam Locascio.
The Golden Tornadoes' next big play was a 55-yard TD run by Fredericks, who was shifted from wide receiver to running back last week and has flourished. "I'm very comfortable as a running back. It feels natural to me."
Fredericks didn't forget his pass-catching roots, either. On the second play of the second quarter, he took a middle screen from Capobianco, made a couple of shrewd cuts and turned it into a 78-yard touchdown. When Capobianco hit Daveed Smith down the left sideline for a 62-yard scoring strike, it was 28-7 and looked like a rout.
But Lynbrook (4-2) rallied. Dual-threat quarterback Joe Grossi (117 rushing yards, 124 passing yards) bolted 43 yards on a keeper to the 1 and Dylan Lucas ran it in for his second of three touchdowns. Capobianco then made a rare error, throwing a pass across his body on a rollout that was intercepted by Eddie Bouhall and returned 55 yards for a touchdown that made it 28-21.
The Golden Tornadoes made it a 20-point second quarter on Fredericks' 9-yard scoring run for a 34-21 halftime lead.
Lynbrook crept to within 34-28 on a 17-yard TD run by Lucas. But Capobianco was far from finished. He broke Sayville's Steven Ferreira's career record of 6,407 passing yards with a perfectly thrown slant that Locascio caught in stride and broke for a 51-yard gain. Fredericks high-stepped for 23 yards and a touchdown on the next play.
Fredericks concluded a 71-yard drive in the fourth quarter with a 5-yard TD run that also featured a 40-yard deep ball from Capobianco to Elijah Jones on first-and-25.
Capobianco also ran 17 times for 110 yards, absorbing a series of hard hits along the way. "Coach told me before the season he needed me to run more," Capobianco said. "With Jordan back there, when I pull it and run, there's a lot of green grass. I love the contact. I'll never slide. I'll never run out of bounds."
And he'll never stop throwing. Capobianco has 1,451 yards and 16 touchdowns this season and owns two cherished Long Island career records -- 6,507 passing yards and 83 touchdowns (Ferreira is second with 73). He wants to keep adding to those numbers so future little Capobiancos can see their Dad's handiwork.
