Lynbrook runs to 2-1 start

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It was back to the scene of last year’s first-round playoff upset for Lynbrook last Saturday and the Owls used a dominant ground attack to keep once-formidable Lawrence winless on the year.

Junior Ethan Hoyte rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns plus a two-point conversion, and junior quarterback Dante Quilca added 87 yards on the ground and a score as Lynbrook earned a 36-6 victory over the Golden Tornadoes in a Nassau Conference III clash.

The Owls (2-1) scored in every quarter a week after suffering a shutout loss on Homecoming at the hands of Floral Park. Junior Lamar Collins sealed their second road win with a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Senior linebacker Dominick Barbuto led the defensive effort with 13 tackles and two sacks.

“When you’ve got a dynamic kid like Barbuto anchoring your defense, you can make a lot of plays,” Lynbrook head coach Steve LoCicero said. “We’re young in some spots but we’ve done a really nice job against the run all year. Dom’s formation recognition is outstanding and he directs everything we do out there.”

Barbuto’s partners in crime, seniors Kyle Serro and Jassjeet Singh, added 12 and 7 tackles, respectively. Serro also had two sacks against Lawrence quarterback Jack Abecassis, who threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Pat Cave for his team’s lone score on the day to cut the Owls’ lead to 15-6 at halftime.

Lynbrook’s offense came alive in the third quarter and produced a pair of touchdowns to provide some breathing room. Hoyte had a 1-yard score and senior Jack Rogers went 20 yards for a touchdown on a rocket sweep. Hoyte followed with the conversion run to make it 29-6.

Rogers was instrumental in the Owls’ season-opening 32-22 victory at Roosevelt, catching touchdowns of 80 and 82 yards from senior signal-caller Cameron Fabel. “Jack has a high football IQ and he’s able to read coverages well,” LoCicero said of Rogers. “Roosevelt was in a zone, but he sort of beat single coverage on both touchdowns. Once he has the ball in his hands, he’s difficult to chase down.”

LoCicero said the win over Roosevelt was Lynbrook’s first on the road since the mid-1990s, albeit the Rough Riders spent many years in Conference IV. “We started running the ball well and hurt them with play action passes,” he noted. “We have two quarterbacks who can make things happen and Ethan [Hoyte] is extremely explosive.”

Hoyte had a pair of touchdown runs and 120 yards at Roosevelt. Fabel also rushed for 100.

Serro, Singh, Ethan Marcus, Adrian Duran and James Gilmartin comprised the starting offensive front for the Owls, who’ll look to continue their momentum this Saturday when Wantagh visits for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Marion Street Elementary. “The Floral Park game refocused us,” LoCicero said. “I think we got a little overconfident after beating Roosevelt.

“Wantagh will be a huge test,” he added. “They play great defense.”