Massapequa football repeats as Long Island Class I champion as Tyler Villalta runs for three TDs in thriller over Floyd

In a rematch of last year’s Long Island Class I football championship game, Massapequa knew it would get Floyd’s best shot.

On Saturday evening at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium, the teams resembled heavyweight fighters exchanging blows. Neither the Colonials nor Massapequa could gain consistent separation, but it was the latter who survived 12 rounds — or, in this case, 48 minutes of peak high school football.

Massapequa outlasted Floyd, 42-40, to win its second straight Long Island title over the program that Massapequa coach Kevin Shippos said has been the standard in Class I.

Clinging to a two-point lead with 3:19 left and the ball at its 29-yard line, Massapequa handed it to star senior running back Tyler Villalta five times for 47 yards to seal it.

“I was [ticked] at the [early fourth-quarter] fumble, so I knew I couldn’t let my boys down,” Villalta said. “I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from getting the first down.”

“Game on the line, there’s no one else you want with the ball in their hands,” senior quarterback Joey Diesso said. “This kid can do it all. I would trust this kid with my life. If he had to score a touchdown and my life was on the line, I trust him. He’s going to get in the end zone.”

Villalta ran for 243 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries. Diesso ran for 75 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries and threw for 102 yards and a score.

“Coaching a high school football game is like 2 1⁄2 hours of emotional turmoil — it’s up and down, but you love it,” Shippos said. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t love what you’re doing. You like the anxiety. You like being in these situations. Otherwise, why coach?

“You love to see the kids rise to the occasion, show mental toughness, spirit, which is what both teams really did tonight.”

Massapequa (11-1), which beat Floyd, 35-7, in last year’s championship game, led 35-26 on Saturday after a wild first half capped by Diesso’s 49-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Cole Villalta, Tyler’s younger brother, with no time left. Tyler Villalta’s kickoff return to the Floyd 49 with five seconds left in the half set up the attempt.

“I just rolled out to my right and heaved it up,” Diesso said. “My boy Cole Villalta’s there behind the defense, catches it, gets in the end zone. Just a crazy play by him.”

After a scoreless third quarter, the Colonials forced Tyler Villalta to fumble inside the red zone on the first play of the fourth quarter. Floyd (10-2) scored five plays later, as Ja’Quan Thomas’ 7-yard touchdown run cut it to 35-32 with 9:31 left.

Massapequa chewed off almost five minutes on its next drive as Tyler Villalta answered with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 42-32 with 4:51 left.

Floyd responded with Thomas’ 12-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion run to make it 42-40 with 3:24 left, but the Colonials never got the ball back.

“I’m proud of my team,” Floyd coach Paul Longo said. “They played hard tonight. They never gave up. They kept fighting back.”

Thomas ran for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.

The roller-coaster first half began with each team scoring on its first drive.

Floyd quarterback AJ Cannet threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Jordan just 1:11 into the game (the extra point was missed) to open the scoring. Massapequa took its first lead at 7-6 on Tyler Villalta’s 3-yard run 3:02 later.

On the second play of Floyd’s next drive, Alex Chillemi batted Cannet’s pass at the line of scrimmage and Tristan Tarasi snagged it for a 17-yard pick-6 to put Massapequa ahead 14-6 with 6:49 left in the first quarter.

The Colonials tied it at 14 on Cannet’s second touchdown pass to Jordan, a 73-yard connection, and Thomas’ two-point run with 1:51 left in the first quarter.

Tyler Villalta’s second touchdown, a 1-yard run, gave Massapequa a 21-14 lead with 14 seconds left in the quarter.

Diesso ran for a 17-yard touchdown to extend Massapequa’s lead to 27-14 with 2:01 left in the first half (the PAT was blocked). Floyd’s Geo Alvarez answered with an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown 12 seconds later to cut it to 27-20 as Massapequa blocked the PAT.

Derek Amato intercepted Diesso on Massapequa’s next drive, and Thomas’ 3-yard touchdown run cut it to 27-26 with 14 seconds left in the first half before the sensational effort by Diesso and Cole Villalta.

“We’ll be remembered with an LIC win,’’ Tyler Villalta said. “A team that doesn’t give up. We went through so much adversity this year, tons of adversity where we were down in so many spots, tons of playoff games we were down. But this team never lets up. It’s a relentless group right here.”

Massapequa defeats Floyd, 42-40, for the LIC Class I crown! https://t.co/WLnNOHD9c3 pic.twitter.com/Ao8mmb8nnK

— Newsday HS sports (@NewsdayHSsports) December 1, 2024