Lawrence Football Captains Make All-State Squad

Even if it didn’t go as far in the playoffs as it’d have liked, the Lawrence High School football team had a momentous 2010.

Joe Martillotti, a Golden Tornadoes assistant, took over the program from Lou Andre and the school opened up a new field. It also amassed a thrilling 23-22 homecoming victory over Lynbrook, among other memorable moments.

Now, team captains Ryan Fredericks and Chris Hercules have been recognized for their contributions to the squad, which finished 8-3 and lost in the third round of the NYSPHSAA Long Island III tournament, and awarded all-state honors by the New York Sportswriters Association. 

“I was kind of surprised. I would have asked for a better season. I did alright,” a humble Fredericks said of his third team offense selection.

“It means a lot, honestly, but it doesn’t really affect me. I’ve just got to keep playing the way I play,” Hercules, a junior middle linebacker from Lawrence, said of being selected to the second team defense.

The numbers belie both players’ modesty.

Fredericks, a junior running back from Inwood, finished with an impressive 156 carries for 1,397 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Similarly, Hercules amassed 96 tackles, eight sacks, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions, stats that would greatly please any NFL player.

Both players credit Martillotti with getting the best out of them in a competitive, team-first atmosphere that submerged any hint of individual egos.

“Here, there’s a lot of competition," Fredericks said. "The truth is, at every practice your position is up for grabs. He doesn’t allow you to become cocky. You always have to be at practice. You have to go 100 percent."

Hercules, who hadn’t played linebacker before this season, is grateful to Martillotti for encouraging a position switch.

“He made me learn the linebacker position. He pretty much forced me to learn it," he said. "I thank him for it, because without that I wouldn’t get the [attention] I’m getting now."

As great players do, Fredericks and Hercules are currently training hard for their senior seasons. It might be January, but the work never stops.

“The important thing is getting up my speed. My 40-yard burst is great, but I need to work on my second gear,” Fredericks said.

Martillotti raved about his unusually prolific young stars and the potential future impact of the all-state selections with the final year of their Golden Tornadoes career still ahead.

“We usually don’t get juniors that are recognized at this level. Both of these guys are all-county players and being selected to the all-state team is a big honor, especially as a junior,” Martillotti said. “It’s great because it helps these guys. I’m sure it will help in their recruiting process being able to say they were all-state. But these two kids led our team as underclassmen. They were captains of our team as underclassmen.”