Lawrence football
By: Jim Green
If there was one opponent that possibly had a chance to slow down the Lawrence High School football team’s offensive juggernaut, it was Mother Nature. But even at her worst, she couldn’t keep Brett Brackett and Co. out of the end zone.
In pouring rain and sloppy field conditions Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals pounded their way to a 48-20 road win over Hopewell Valley. Lawrence is now 4-0 heading into its toughest stretch of the season, starting with a home game against Steinert at 7 p.m. Friday under the temporary lights, followed by two more home contests against Colonial Valley Conference powers Hamilton and Notre Dame.
"We’re very worried about them," Lawrence coach Rob Radice said. "They’re 1-4, but they’re a very good football team. All the games they’ve lost were close. We’re very aware of that. They have a good running back, they play good defense. They’re dangerous. They like to come right at you and shove the ball down your throat."
This past weekend, though, the focus was on a scrappy Hopewell team that was searching for its program’s first varsity win. Despite entering the game 0-4, the Bulldogs had lost two CVC games by seven points or less, so the Cardinals knew this would be no time for a letdown. And with the conditions being what they were, they also knew they were going to need complete focus.
"We just tried to take care of the ball the best we could," Radice said. "We kept on switching balls and tried to keep the ball dry. We did a good job of that, and we tried to put it out of our minds and not let it affect us."
The experience of winning in miserable conditions could help Lawrence down the road. Last season, the Cardinals lost their first-round playoff game to Hillsborough in extremely cold and rainy weather.
"We need to learn how to play on a muddy, sloppy field and with a wet ball," Radice said. "I thought we did a pretty fair job of it."
Brackett, who passed for two touchdowns and ran for one more, made sure of that. After the Cardinal defense forced Hopewell to punt away its opening possession, Lawrence’s high-powered offense, which has helped it average a staggering 45 points per game, went right to work. On fourth-and-five from their own 45, the Cardinals ran a fake punt with a direct snap to Joel Rosario, who went six yards for the first down. Two plays later, Brackett hooked up with his No. 1 target, tight end Jim Gorski, on a wide-open 50-yard bomb for a 7-0 lead.
Gorski has caught at least one TD in each of the Cardinals’ four games and had six total scores on the season.
"I knew last year he was going to be a pretty special player," Radice said. "He’s just rising to the occasion and taking advantage of the opportunities. He’s done a really nice job."
But the Bulldogs would not go away. After Lawrence kicker Pat Stanger booted the ball into the end zone for a touchback, Hopewell took over its 20 and proceeded to go on its most impressive drive of the season, traveling 80 yards in 13 plays and chewing up 4:33. Hopewell back Steve Giovacchini, who finished the day with a career-best 168 yards on the ground, was the catalyst, carrying the ball eight times on the drive for 54 yards, including the capping 21-yard TD run on a sweep right on fourth-and-three his first of two touchdowns on the day.
The Cardinals answered immediately however, as tailback Bayshawn Wells tore through the Hopewell defense for a 55-yard touchdown on the second play of Lawrence’s ensuing possession. The long touchdown run Wells’ fourth score in the last three games put momentum squarely back on the side of Lawrence.
Once again, however, the Bulldogs hung in there, exchanging three-and-outs with Lawrence before starting their fourth possession of the game at their own 44. On the first play, though, the Lawrence defense made its presence felt, forcing a Hopewell fumble and giving the Cardinals possession at the Bulldog 48.
The Lawrence offense immediately went to work, as Brackett connected with Gorski on a nine-yard pass, and two four-yard runs by fullback Alex Pearson moved the ball to the Hopewell 32. The Bulldog defense then made a stand, forcing Lawrence into a fourth-and-three. But on that fourth-down play, Brackett dumped the ball off to Pearson, who rumbled 29 yards for his second touchdown in as many weeks, extending the Cardinal lead to 14 points.
Another Stanger touchback left the Bulldogs with rough starting position again at their own 20. Four plays later, another HoVal fumble set Lawrence up in golden field position at the Bulldog 34. On the first play of the possession, Brackett scrambled 14 yards for the first down, and Leslie Shropshire followed with a 20-yard touchdown run for his second score of the year.
With the conditions clearly taking their toll, Hopewell followed by fumbling away its third straight possession on the first play from scrimmage, and Lawrence recovered the ball at the Bulldog 21. Five plays later, Brackett drove up the middle from one yard out, rushing for a touchdown in his fourth straight game and giving the Cardinals an insurmountable 35-7 lead heading into halftime.
The Bulldogs did not go away in the second half however, as they managed to tie the high-powered Cardinals 13-13 over the final two periods. Giovacchini and Brian Menditto scored on runs of 39 yards and 1 yard, respectively, for Hopewell, while Lawrence picked up a two-yard rushing score by Mike DiLorenzo and a 46-yard run by backup quarterback Brian Mills.
The Cardinals, looking as unstoppable as ever, now turn their attention to the Spartans, who they lost to two years ago in their season opener. Last year, the Cardinals bounced back with a 19-6 win over Steinert in Week 2 a victory that propelled them to their playoff season.
"I’m sure they’re aware that they beat us two years," Radice said. "We think we’re going to have our hands full with them."

