Can Floyd flip the script on Massapequa in the Long Island Class I championship?
Floyd RB Ja'Quan Thomas runs through the Ward Melville defense in the Suffolk I championship game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at LaValle Stadium. Credit: George A Faella
Floyd would like to flip the script on Massapequa.
The Colonials suffered a good ole fashioned beatdown against Massapequa in last year’s Long Island Class I championship at Hofstra. The 35-7 loss still leaves Floyd coach Paul Longo searching for answers.
This year the venue changes to the comforts of Stony Brook University's LaValle Stadium. Massapequa (10-1) will travel to meet Floyd (10-1) at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday to battle for the Long Island Class I championship.
“Personally, I know a lot of the guys that are returning are still thinking about last year,” Floyd two-way lineman Aaron Fisher said. “We couldn’t get the job done. We’ve been waiting to get back at them. We’ve been working all season for this shot.”
Longo certainly hopes the remnants of a 35-7 drubbing are finally gone before the rematch.
“We're going to have to play a better game than we did last year,” Longo said. “We know they're still a very tough team and have some of those really good players returning. We're going to have to bring our A-game.”
The Colonials ‘A’ game starts with junior halfback Ja’Quan Thomas, who leads Long Island in rushing and scoring with 2,422 yards and 34 touchdowns. The complement to Thomas in the Colonials offense is quarterback AJ Cannet, who’s thrown for 1,511 yards and 15 scores.
“They have a dynamic offense, and the big back is going to be a challenge for us,” Massapequa coach Kevin Shippos said. “We’ve told our guys they need to tackle him low. He doesn’t always run downhill. He’s got great vision and runs well laterally, too.”
The Floyd offense averages 38 points per game and Cannet likes to throw to wide receivers Geo Alvarez (31 receptions, 518 yards) and Josh Jordan.
But will they have enough to offset the dynamic duo in Massapequa halfback Tyler Villalta, a Thorp Award candidate, and quarterback Joey Diesso. Villalta rushed for 1,289 yards and 26 TDs and Diesso threw for 1,166 yards and 19 scores. The defending champions used a two-point conversion to get by top-seeded Farmingdale in last week’s Nassau I final, 35-34.
“We've got to wrap people up and not give them the opportunity for second chances,” Longo said. “They have a bunch of great athletes and they’re tough competitors. We lost to Massapequa last year and that adds a little incentive to come back and beat them. We haven't won an LIC since 2012, so we'd certainly like to get another one.”
Massapequa won Long Island titles in four of five appearances. Floyd won five crowns between 2005 and 2012.
FLOYD ROSTER
No. Player Grade Pos.
1 Spencer Link 11 FB/LB
2 PJ Gilhauley 11 WR/LS
3 Kris Watkins 12 WR/CB
4 Evan Commodore 11 WR/CB
5 Neo Dawson 12 WR/CB
6 Aiden Williams 11 RB/LB
7 Zamari Wilkins 12 RB/LB
8 Geo Alvarez 12 WR/FS
9 Alex Rodriguez 11 WR/LB
10 Aisays Wallace 11 RB/CB
11 Jake Rivera 10 TE/DE
12 Jack Molini 12 QB/DE
13 AJ Cannet 12 QB
14 Francisco Bravo 11 WR
15 Coby Huggins 11 RB/DE
16 Christian Hobson 10 WR/LB
17 Joe Marletti 12 WR
18 Daveigh McKenzie 11 WR/DB
19 Joshua Jordan 12 WR/S
21 Frankie Materra 11 RB/LB
22 Fraz Ahmed 11 WR/CB
23 Patrick Mitchell 11 RB/DE
24 Jared Brutus 12 FB/LB
25 Ja’Quan Thomas 11 RB/LB
26 Melvin Cullum 12 DE
29 Dwight Blankenship 12 K/P
30 Kristopher Schlamp 12 WR
32 Jayden Johnson 11 DL
35 JP Galasso 11 RB/LB
37 David Gonzalez 11 TE/LB
38 Matthew Dongvort 12 K
40 Dashawn Jackson 10 RB/LB
44 Josiah Lors 11 FB/LB
46 Gabe Beta 11 FB/DL
51 Jeru Hall 11 OL/DL
52 Anthony DiBlasi 12 OL/DL
55 Darnell Toussaint 11 DL
56 Aaron Fisher 12 OL/DL
57 Derek Amato 12 OL/DL
58 Joe Melecio 11 OL/DL
59 Cedric Jacques 11 OL//DL
60 Matthew Shaw 10 OL/DL
61 Angyl Palin 11 OL/DL
63 Aiden Beattie 12 OL/DL
64 Jadiel Davila 12 OL/DL
66 Jonathan Bosman 11 OL/DL
67 Hunter Arcuri 12 OL/DL
69 Dylan Tenes 12 OL/DL
70 Matthew Benjamin 11 OL/DL
71 Stephen Harned 12 OL/DL
72 Zachary Baxter 11 OL/DL
74 Anthony Franklin 12 OL/DL
77 Andy Brown Jr. 10 OL/DL
79 Tacari Reece 11 OL/DL
88 Jonathan Bowden 12 WR/DB
Head Coach: Paul Longo
Assistant Coaches: Greg Amato, Bill Ashton, Kyle Connor, Glenn Davis
Assistant Coaches: Bill Krumm, Gary Marangi, Chris Mocera
Assistant Coaches: Steven Rendino, Anthony Wolf
MASSAPEQUA ROSTER
No. Player Grade Pos.
2 Alex Chillemi 12 WR/DL
3 Kenny Gein 12 RB/DB
4 Peter Konstantinakos 11 WR/DB
5 Frank Romano 12 WR/DB
6 Andrew Pedalino 11 RB/DB
7 Cole Villalta 11 WR/DB
9 Sean Smith 11 WR/DB
10 Luke Hutchinson 11 WR/DB
11 Joey Diesso* 12 QB
12 Chris Bascetta 11 K
14 Chase Tirino 11 WR/DB
15 Cole Melillo 11 WR/DB
16 Luke Garguilo 10 QB
17 Jackson Yahner 12 WR/DB
18 Alex Bartolo 11 WR/DB
20 Joe Brooks 11 RB/DB
22 Dan Walsh 11 WR/DB
24 Ryan Decker 11 RB/LB
25 Tyler Villalta* 12 RB/DB
26 Billy Sciurba* 12 TE/LB
27 Joe Palmer 11 RB/DB
30 Sean Florentz 11 WR/LB
32 Ben Cohen 11 RB/DB
35 Brady Kemper 11 OL/DL
36 Blake Seidenstein 9 QB
37 Jason LaRosa 10 RB/DB
40 Nick Scannapieco 11 OL/LB
42 Jackson Davis 12 OL/DL
44 Giovanni Tarasi 10 RB/LB
45 Ethan Kaminskey 11 OL/LB
47 Anthony DiNello 11 TE/LB
50 Kellen Reilly 11 OL/DL
51 Cooper Danielson 12 OL/DL
52 Nolan Wieczorek 10 OL/LB
53 Bobby Foran 12 OL/DL
54 Connor Pineda 12 OL/DL
55 Alex Van Schuyler 11 OL/DL
56 A.J. Molenko 12 OL/DL
58 Lucas Banushi 11 OL/DL
62 Tristan Tarasi 11 OL/DL
64 Carlo Kurz 11 OL/DL
66 Brady Gilchrist 11 OL/DL
68 Thomas Biggin 12 OL/DL
70 Matt Wipperman 11 OL/DL
71 Bobby Painton 12 OL/DL
78 Eddie Waldron 11 OL/DL
79 George Zouloufis 11 OL/DL
80 Justin Farrell 10 TE/LB
81 Logan Sakowski 11 WR/DB
82 Gavin Farley 11 WR/DB
83 Dylan Milio 10 WR/DB
84 Michael Devlin 12 OL/DL
85 Jack Mulligan 9 TE/DL
88 Tyler Byrnes 11 WR/LB
Head Coach: Kevin Shippos
Assistant Coaches: Mike Ambury, Joe Esposito, John Grant
Assistant Coaches: Mike Spina, Nick Tomasulo
* Denotes Captains
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
