Lineman returns fumble 82 yards for TD with 1:06 left to give Lawrence 40-35 victory over Sayville
Lawrence's Melik Mavruk holds the victory plaque as his teammates raise the trophy to celebrate their win against Sayville in the Long Island Class III football final on Friday, Nov. 28, 2014. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Incredibly, Lawrence was going to let Sayville score on the play.
Incredibly, Sayville's quarterback-running back exchange went haywire.
Incredibly, the ball popped loose.
Incredibly, Lawrence's Melik Mavruk picked it up with nothing but green turf ahead of him.
And incredibly, the 6-2, 265- pound lineman raced 82 yards for the winning touchdown.
It was such a dramatic turn of events that Mavruk himself was incredulous.
"Imagine me going [almost] a hundred yards. Me? I'm not exactly the fastest guy,'' said Mavruk, a hulking senior whose fumble return with 1:06 left gave Lawrence a stunning 40-35 win over Sayville Friday night in the Long Island Class III championship game at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium.
The Golden Tornadoes became the first team in Nassau history to win three consecutive Long Island championships.
Leading 35-34, Sayville had driven from its 26 to the Lawrence 12, a 16-play drive that consumed 6:33 and forced Lawrence to use all three of its timeouts. It appeared that points for Sayville were not as important as the precious minutes and seconds ticking off the clock. That's why, on third-and-8 from the 12, Lawrence coach Joe Martillotti told his players to allow the touchdown.
"We wanted to let him score and get the ball back,'' he said. "I'm confident if there's time left on the clock, my guys can score.''
He had reason to believe that. Lawrence had marched 73 yards in 44 seconds to score just before halftime, cutting its deficit to 21-20.
Mavruk's scoop-and-score changed that mind-set, but the game-changer had its own built-in drama. Said Martillotti, "He's not exactly the guy I would've wanted to pick it up.''
Teammate Tevine Johnson, a fleet defensive back, felt that way, too. "When he got to the 50, I was screaming at him, 'Gimme the ball, gimme the ball, gimme the ball!' '' Johnson said. "I didn't think he'd make it.''
But Mavruk, who has scored three defensive touchdowns this year, told Johnson he wasn't giving him the ball. "I yelled back at him, 'No, no! Just block someone!' '' Mavruk said.
"I was surprised. He was really moving,'' Johnson said with a laugh. "It looked like he was running faster than me.''
One player who always moves fast for Lawrence, Jordan Fredericks, was a major offensive force, rushing for 227 yards on 26 carries in his final game before he moves on to Syracuse. He scored four touchdowns, including stylish runs of 65 and 57 yards, and passed for another. Yet despite his gaudy numbers, Fredericks thought "our offense didn't really get going. Our defense played their hearts out.''
Fredericks, also a defensive back, was on the field for the Mavruk Miracle. "I saw the ball was dropped. I thought Tevine had picked it up,'' he said. "But when I saw it was Melik, I wasn't worried. He loves to score. I knew he wasn't going to fall down. And everybody blocked for him because they know Melik loves to score.''
So does Sayville, and that made for some anxious moments at the end. Sixty-six seconds can be plenty of time for sophomore quarterback Jack Coan (16-for-38, 315 yards) and his bevy of weapons, including gritty running back Matt Selts (122 yards, 37 carries) and receivers Kevin Murphy (seven catches, 144 yards) and Chris Rupp (five catches, 94 yards).
The Golden Flashes began at their 35 and Coan got them moving with completions to Rupp for 9 and 15 yards. After three incomplete passes, he found Ryan Kelly over the middle for 17 yards to the Lawrence 24.
Thirteen seconds remained, but there was no magic left for Sayville. Three incomplete passes ended the game.
It was the second time in the last three years that Lawrence beat Sayville with a late defensive touchdown -- as Marvelous Mavruk pointed out. "It was Eddie Robinson with the pick-6 in 2012 and now me,'' he said. "Now that's a pretty good story.''
An incredible one.
