Lynbrook Reflects on Championship Season

With an 11-1 record that included winning the Nassau County and Long Island Class III titles this season, the Lynbrook Owls football team was certainly a contender for a number of awards presented Wednesday at the Nassau County High School Football Coaches Association's 45th Gridiron Banquet in Woodbury.

But even as the Rutgers Cup (best Nassau team) and Thorp Award (best Nassau player) went to Freeport and MacArthur's Tom Joyce, respectively, Lynbrook coach Steve LoCicero expressed no disappointment, saying his team's performance on the field is what is important to him.

"Like always, Lynbrook football is a team. Since we did not win any individual awards, it proves to us that we were the best 'team' in the county," LoCicero said. "It is a tremendous accomplishment to win a Long Island championship. There are only four schools in Conference III that have ever won a Long Island title, and that is more important than the Rutgers Cup."

To say Lynbrook ran over its competition in 2010 would be an understatement — the Owls literally ran the ball successfully in every single game this season.

In Week 1, Lynbrook showed what it was made of: a strong running game and a solid defense, as illustrated by a .

Week 2 was the same story, with Lynbrook's Mike Kozlakowski scoring off the second play from scrimmage en route to a .

In Week 3, a huge Lynbrook Homecoming crowd watched the .

In Week 4, one might have expected a lower-scoring game, with a rain-soaked field at Manhasset High School. But Owls running stud Travis Lock showed how little the weather mattered to Lynbrook, rushing for three touchdowns in a .

Week 5 saw Lynbrook go up against also-undefeated Hewlett. The game was close in the first half, but the , with three touchdowns from Kozlakowski and another pair from Kendall Bruton.

In Week 6, a clear mismatch between Lynbrook and Division panned out as most might have expected — . Quarterback Paul Magloire ran for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while Lock added two more.

Week 7 pitted Lynbrook against its Conference III rival, the undefeated Lawrence Golden Tornadoes. Lynbrook fell behind 23-14 in the second half, but mounted a valiant comeback. However, a costly interception in the red zone with just over eight minutes left , its only loss of the season.

Perhaps using the loss to Lawrence as a wake-up call, Lynbrook dominated against Sewanhaka — one of the better teams in Conference III — in Week 8. Fourteen of its 33 points were scored off special teams, and the , to claim the Conference III title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

In the first round of the playoffs, Lynbrook showed it meant business with a . Quarterback Paul Magloire had three touchdowns in the first half, after which LoCicero decided to bench his starters. It was a fitting end for the final game of the season played at Marion Street Field, as all 68 players on Lynbrook's roster — the largest in the county — got to play, many of them seniors who will graduate next year.

The semifinal round of the playoffs might as well have been called the Travis Lock Show, as Lynbrook's star running back compiled 253 yards and five touchdowns on the day. , to earn a county title rematch against Lawrence.
 
In a rematch of the 2009 county final, which Lawrence won, Lynbrook held the Golden Tornadoes scoreless in the second half, and Lock ran for 269 yards and three touchdowns to give the to claim the county's Class III title, Lynbrook's first since 1992.

In the Long Island Class III title game, , winners of L.I. championships in 2004, 2006, and 2008. This game was closer than the 42-27 score indicates, as a 4th-quarter interception by Bruton put the Owls back in the game after being down 28-27. A late defensive stand by Lynbrook gave the Owls one more chance with the ball, and they didn't waste it, scoring another touchdown to put the game out of reach. Lynbrook's three offensive stars all stepped up in the game: Magloire had 120 yards and three touchdowns, Lock had 174 yards and two touchdowns, and Kozlakowski racked up 74 yards and a touchdown.