Versatile Anthony DiNello is making sure a new phrase is coined in Massapequa.
He was an Anthony of all trades, instrumental in helping the Chiefs defeat Oceanside, 55-18, to win a third straight Nassau Conference I title Friday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
Massapequa advances to take on Ward Melville in the Long Island Class I championship game Friday back at Hofstra at noon.
Defensively, the senior had six tackles, a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Offensively, the SUNY Oswego baseball commit was a blocking machine, had five carries and a reception, and also threw a touchdown pass as the top-seeded Chiefs regained momentum after No. 3 Oceanside's touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half.
“Anthony came to play tonight,” Massapequa head coach Kevin Shippos said. “He’s always been an aggressive and physical player, you saw that tonight. He is mastering the techniques of playing the run and the pass that make great linebackers, and he can throw the ball, too.”
DiNello’s touchdown pass wasn’t a trick play orchestrated by Massapequa offensive coordinator Mike Ambury, like the halfback pass from Tyler Villalta to Joey Diesso in overtime of last year’s county final.
DiNello was in for starting quarterback Luke Garguilo, sidelined after suffering an ankle injury early in the third quarter.
Before his exit, Garguilo threw for 124 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 100 yards and another score as Massapequa (11-0) raced out to a 28-7 lead.
But the 24-yard touchdown pass from Shane Harmon (12-for-26, 196 yards, 1 touchdown) to Jacob Stern with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter, combined with Garguilo’s injury, had given Oceanside (8-3) newfound life.
DiNello made sure to take that back, finding Cole Villalta for a 24-yard touchdown to extend the Chiefs' lead to 34-15 with 1:39 left in the third quarter.
“Our quarterback got hurt. I stepped up. Anything could have happened. We knew next man up, and I just happened to be the one to step up,” DiNello said. “I knew we had to turn the momentum somehow. They got it going into halftime. It was on us to get it back right away.”
Then Jack Mulligan put the game away with back-to-back interceptions, both courtesy of tipped balls by Ryan Chabus, returned for touchdowns in 1:09, the first a 26-yard score, and the second a 34-yard touchdown to put Massapequa in front 48-15 in the early fourth quarter.
“It’s awesome,” the sophomore two-way lineman said. “All week at practice, that’s all we trained for, to read the screen, hands up, and right there, Ryan Chabus both times deflected the ball, and I just got lucky. It happened to be in my hands.”
For Oceanside, it was a bitter defeat in the Sailors' first county championship appearance since losing to Massapequa in 2021.
“This wasn’t the finish that we wanted, and it only happens for one team,” Oceanside head coach Rob Blount said. “I’m thankful for the group getting us back to the championship game after a three-year drought. They left the program in a great spot for the future.”
Now, Massapequa will hope to match William Floyd as the only teams to win three straight Long Island Class I titles and cap a ninth undefeated season in program history.
“Our team continues to improve each week,” Shippos said. “That’s all I can ask for as a coach and hope we see progress throughout the season. Hopefully, we save our best performance for our last.”
