Cover photo: William Floyd and Massapequa face off in the Championship final at Stony Brook (Credit – Matt Meduri)
It was chilly in the stands, but certainly not on the field, as the top two League One schools on Long Island battled it out in a fiery late-fall football game. On the field, it was a contentious, back-and-forth game between the Suffolk County League One Champion the William Floyd Colonials and the Nassau League One Champion the Massapequa Chiefs.
To make it even more interesting, the town supervisors of the two teams wagered a friendly bet into the air via social media. Brookhaven Town Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) challenged Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino (R-Oyster Bay) that if the Colonials won, he would make a donation to Supervisor Saladino’s favorite local charity while also picking up the lunch bill to his restaurant of choice. Mr. Saladino returned the confident sentiment in his Massapequa Chiefs and agreed to the bet and vice versa.
With a few thousand fans in attendance and some friendly bets on the line, the Colonials struck first and struck hard with only a minute and eleven seconds into the game. Quarterback AJ Cannet launched a 31-yard pass to a high flying and speedy receiver, Joshua Jordan. Floyd missed the extra point which left some air and a roar in the Chiefs. Massapequa struck second and hard only three minutes later as superstar Tyler Villalta finished up the Chiefs march down the field with a three-yard touchdown. The Chiefs completed the extra point, took the lead 7-6; we knew then that this game was going to be an absolute dogfight.
A few moments later, on the second play of William Floyd’s next drive, Alex Chillemi of Massapequa deflected a pass thrown by Cannet only to be intercepted by Chillemi’s teammate Tristan Tarasi and ran in for the Chief’s second touchdown. Only moments later Floyd’s AJ Cannet finds receiver Joshua Jordan again for a 73-yard touchdown which tied the game up at 14. Tyler Villalta had another answer as he ran in his second touchdown of the game to put the Chiefs up 21-14. And this was only the end of the first quarter.
Massapequa’s quarterback Joey Diesso struck again in the second quarter as he kept the ball for a 17-yard run in to put his team up 28-14. Just when it looked like the Chiefs were pulling away, William Floyd’s Geo Alvarez ran back the following kick off for an 83-yard touchdown. With only a few minutes left in the first half, Alvarez gave his team and the Floyd Faithful some life back again as his defensive teammate Dereck Amato grabbed an interception and ran it down the field. This drive was finished off by Floyd’s superstar running back Ja’Quan Thomas running in a short touchdown. Massapequa answered Thomas the next offensive play with a hail Mary pass into the end zone from Diesso to Cole Villalta, Tyler’s younger brother, with just fourteen seconds left in the first half to make it 35-26 with the Chiefs leading.
The second half was just as contentious. Neither team would run out of gas or give up the game without a fight. The third quarter remained scoreless as both defenses came up with big stops. The Colonials defense caused Tyler Villalta to fumble the ball early in the fourth quarter resulting in another rushing touchdown by Suffolk County’s leading rusher for this season, Ja’Quan Thomas. With a score as close as 35-32, Massapequa again had an answer as they both scored while also eating up time on the clock, making it 42-32 with only a few minutes left in the game. Ja’Quan Thomas scored again as the Colonials marched down the field. Thomas ran in a two-point conversion to tighten the score at 42-40. Massapequa was able to finish the clock off and clench their second consecutive Long Island title.
Congratulations to the Massapequa Chiefs on their tremendous win and to the William Floyd Colonials on yet another outstanding season including being crowned the League One Suffolk County Champions for the second year in a row!
“It was a spectacular game where Massapequa came out on top. I congratulate them and Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino,” Panico told The Messenger. However, he added his and Suffolk’s condolences to the Massapequa family, as seventeen-year-old Connor Kasin tragically passed away after collapsing during a charity hockey game in Bethpage, the night of the Floyd-Massapequa match. The ice hockey charity game was held in the memory of Sabrina Navaretta, a Syosset High School alumna who passed away in a car accident last year.
“Our prayers collectively are with Connor’s family and the students and everyone in Massapequa. That is far more important than a football game and our heart goes out to everyone in Massapequa,” said Panico.
Don’t be surprised if you see Supervisor Panico and Saladino dining out locally this weekend at Mama Lisa’s in Mastic. This was Supervisor Saladino’s restaurant of choice he wanted to be treated to if his team won. Right after covering the bill, Dan Panico will have to write a donation check to Long Island Cares, Supervisor Saladino’s charity of choice; all for some good fun and to benefit a great cause!
