Massapequa football uses trick play to help claim Nassau Conference I title in overtime victory over Farmingdale

It was fourth-and-7 early Saturday night under the Hofstra lights. Massapequa had the ball at the Farmingdale 17, down six in overtime in the Nassau I championship game.

What to do?

Offensive coordinator Mike Ambury had an idea. It was a play that got put in about three weeks ago, a play that never had been tested in a real game. It involved quarterback Joey Diesso and running back Tyler Villalta, but not in a way that you would think.

“[Ambury] schemes things up and puts the ball in our kids’ hands, and he’s as creative as can be,” coach Kevin Shippos said.

“He said, ‘Everyone’s keying on Tyler. Why don’t we put in a play with Tyler throwing to Joey?’ ”

So Diesso got open in the left side of the end zone, Villalta threw it to him and Diesso hung on — tie score.

After scoring first in overtime, Farmingdale had gone for two and failed, so when Massapequa’s Chris Bascetta booted the extra point, the celebration was on.

Third-seeded Massapequa overcame a sensational 313-yard, five-touchdown rushing effort by Josh Kama and earned a 35-34 victory over its rival, No. 1 Farmingdale, to successfully defend its Nassau I title.

Massapequa won its 10th straight game since an opening loss to Oceanside.

“It feels amazing,” Villalta said. “All the hard work. I’m so proud of this group.”

Massapequa will try to capture its second straight Long Island Class I championship when it faces Floyd in a game tentatively scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium.

“We’re going to do our best to do what we did last year,” Diesso said after throwing for 134 yards and three touchdowns.

Farmingdale had to settle for just being in this title game and a 9-2 finish after taking that lead in OT.

“A tough one to lose,” Dalers coach Buddy Krumenacker said.

And a great one to win.

“It means everything,” Diesso said. “After the first game of the year, we lost and I was trying everything in my power to get back here.”

Diesso said he wasn’t that surprised about the last-hope play, thinking that “they aren’t expecting something like this, game on the line . . . the ball was in the air and I just watched it into my arms.”

Villalta, who had rushed 25 times for 119 yards, said, “I just knew it was a pitch-and-catch with one of my best friends.”

Bascetta still had to win it.

“Honestly, I just thought of it as a regular extra point, not a game-winner,” the junior kicker said.

The Dalers began OT at the Massapequa 20 in a 28-28 game. Kama took a handoff on the first play, found running room on the right side and took the ball to the end zone. Krumenacker went for two, but the running play was stopped.

“What we were thinking was that we’d go for two because I really believed that if we went for one and [Shippos] scored, he would then go for two to end the game,” Krumenacker said. “So we were going to get the number to eight.”

And you know what? It didn’t work out, but Krumenacker’s belief was correct.

“To tell you the truth, if they had kicked an extra point and we scored, we were going for two,” Shippos said.

Farmingdale led 21-14 at halftime thanks largely to TD runs of 59, 3 and 67 yards by Kama. Diesso threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Anthony DiNello in the third quarter, but it was 28-21 Dalers after Kama’s 14-yard TD run late in the quarter.

“He plays like that all the time,” Krumenacker said. “What you saw was Josh Kama.”

Diesso scrambled on fourth-and-9 at the Farmingdale 11 and made it to the end zone with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter. Bascetta tied it, setting up the first overtime championship game in Nassau I in 25 years.

“I wouldn’t say I was worried we were going to lose [at any point],” Diesso said. “ . . . I have full confidence in my team and myself that we can do anything together.”