Tyler Villalta scores all five TDs for Massapequa in win over Farmingdale
Tyler Villalta of Massapequa keeps his eye on Michael Galgano of Farmingdale as he runs the ball in for another touch down during Nassau Conference I football game on Saturday, September 28, 2024 in Massapequa. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The matchups between Nassau County powerhouses Massapequa and Farmingdale have come to be touchstones for generations of football players and fans in both towns. They remember the results and big plays from the meetings they played in or witnessed. It’s Long Island football nostalgia at its best.
If there is one image that will endure from Saturday’s meeting of the archrivals it is this: Tyler Villalta being mobbed by teammates in the end zone after a touchdown. It happened over and over and over again as Massapequa rolled through a steady rain to a 34-21 Nassau Conference I victory over the visiting Dalers that maybe wasn’t as close as the final score.
The 6-foot senior running back and defensive back scored all five touchdowns for ’Pequa (3-1). He rushed 21 times for 121 yards and four scores – on runs of 6, 3, 49 and 1 yards – and returned an interception 37 yards for the other TD.
For some, the performance conjured the memory of Villalta scoring a pair of touchdowns and a game-winning two-point conversion in a 15-14 win over Farmingdale last season, a win that put them on course to the 2023 Long Island Class I title.
Asked if seeing Farmingdale across the line of scrimmage brings something out in him, Villaalta replied, “it’s just the competitiveness of the two teams – you know it’s a big game and it’s going to mean a lot and you want to do your best.”
“We think he’s the best football player on Long Island and have for a couple years now,” Massapequa coach Kevin Shippos said. “His first big play [was] . . . a bubble screen he took 80 yards for a touchdown as a sophomore. We knew we had a player. Take the talent and add in his relentless work ethic and humble (demeanor) and it’s something special.”
Of course, Villalta’s performance is the headline grabber, but he was not the only star in the Massapequa sky Saturday. Sophomore Nolan Wieczorek and junior Anthony DiNello flew to the ball on defense. Wieczorek had three tackles for a loss and DiNello two. Senior Billy Sciurba recovered a Massapequa kickoff that went untouched by the Dalers, Junior Andrew Pedalino forced a fumble and senior Alex Chimelli recovered it and junior Alex Van Schuyler recovered a fumble.
“They weren’t going to come out easy at us and they were going to come at us every play and we had to be ready to meet it,” Wieczorek said. “You grow up in Massapequa with all these great football players and we’re just bred to play tough defense.”
Massapequa opened a huge lead with 20 unanswered points in the second quarter and it happened quickly enough to stun.
Villalta’s interception return for a touchdown gave ‘’Pequa a 14-7 lead. The ensuing kick off was pooch that landed between rows over the Farmingdale return team. Alex Chillemi tipped the ball so it wouldn’t go out of bounds and Sciurba recovered at the Dalers 25. Three plays later, Villalta was in the end zone with his second rushing touchdown for a 21-7 lead.
“Alex’s tap made the play,” Sciurba said. “He put it right in my lap.”
On the ensuing Farmingdale possession, a Wieczorek tackle behind the line left the Dalers punting and Massapequa capped a 69-yard, four-play drive with Villalta’s 49-yard touchdown and a 27-7 lead. It was 20 Massapequa points in just 6:06 on the clock.
“Momentum can flip so fast in a football game,” Wieczorek said. “When you get it, you ride it and it definitely helps.”
Josh Kama rushed for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Dennis Finkel threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to James Collins for Farmingdale.
“I could tell, like Monday these guys had an extra pep and usually they do for Farmingdale, but this is a more quiet group,” Shippos said. “Sometimes we have to poke and prod them. Not this week. It was our best week of practice this season. We’re going to keep it going.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
