Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Massapequa football team made history Friday afternoon, defeating Ward Melville, 14-12, to win the Long Island Class I title at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
The Chiefs joined William Floyd as the only teams in the Long Island Championship’s 33-year history to win three consecutive Class I crowns. The Colonials did so from 2005-07.
And Massapequa did it by going undefeated for the ninth time in program history and the second time in the last three years.
The Chiefs leaned on a defense that averaged just 11 points against per game to stymie a Ward Melville offense that came into the game averaging 40.4 points per game.
Leading the defensive charge was Ryan Chabus, who had a team-high nine tackles, 2-1/2 tackles for losses, two sacks, and three forced fumbles. Jack Mulligan had eight tackles, and Joe Brooks had five tackles and an interception.
With quarterback Luke Garguilo limited after suffering a sprained ankle in the Nassau Conference I championship game, Massapequa (12-0) leaned heavily on the run game.
Brooks broke the scoreless stalemate with a 4-yard touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 61-yard opening drive of the third quarter.
After Brooks intercepted Ward Melville quarterback Hudson Philbrick on the Patriots’ next play from scrimmage, Andrew Pedolino (25 carries, 125 yards) followed with a 17-yard touchdown run to give the Chiefs a 14-0 lead with 2:36 left in the third quarter.
Joey Benedetto rushed for a pair of touchdowns as Ward Melville (10-2) cut its deficit to 14-12 with 4:56 left in the fourth quarter. Philbrick was stopped on the potential tying 2-point conversion by Chabus.
The Patriots had one last chance in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, but Dylan Milio broke up a pass in the end zone on third down and combined with Cole Villalta to knock down another pass in the end zone to seal the title for Massapequa.
Please check back for updates on this story.
