Ryan Mastropaolo, Island Trees improve to 4-0 with win over Lawrence 

It normally takes time for a new coaching staff to jell with the players it inherits, but in his first year at the helm for Island Trees, coach Ryan Vinberg has already transformed the Bulldogs into a winner.

Island Trees improved to 4-0 in Nassau Conference IV after a 34-12 victory against Lawrence on Friday night. Senior fullback Ryan Mastropaolo rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. He scored on the second play of the Bulldogs’ opening drive, ripping off a 43-yard touchdown run to jump-start the offense.

"We were able to hit the hole at their weakness. We knew it was going to be there, and we hit it," Mastropaolo said. "Once we broke the hole there was a lot of open field, [and I] got some really good blocks from our wide receivers."

Quarterback Nick Saragossi connected with receiver Michael Coppeto for a 24-yard touchdown on his first pass of the game to pad the Bulldogs' lead to 14-0. Special teams was up next. Vincent Giambona returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown, his third return touchdown in as many games.

Up by 21, a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 12 points in a game took over. The Island Trees defense forced two turnovers -- a forced fumble by Nicholas Filocamo and an interception by Kian McCoy. Chris Antonelli made nine tackles, setting the tone for an aggressive attack.

"We get stoked, we get hype," Antonelli said about the offense scoring early. "When we score that touchdown, we really get into it, we [the defense] feed off that."

The coaching staff placed an emphasis on filling the gaps and clogging holes in their preparation for Lawrence.

"Their game plan was to run on us," Vinberg said. "We contained their running back."