Tyler Villalta called it a “just in case” play, one practiced about three times a week for three weeks but never used in a game.
And fourth down in overtime of the Nassau Conference I championship game with the season on the line proved to be the best time to debut that for Massapequa.
The call came from Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Mike Ambury, and Villalta, the star running back, put it into motion. Operating out of a Wildcat set, which debuted in the semifinals against Oceanside last week, Villalta rolled left and connected with quarterback-turned-wide receiver Joey Diesso for a 17-yard touchdown.
Chris Bascetta kicked the extra point to seal second-seeded Massapequa’s thrilling 35-34 win over top-seeded Farmingdale Saturday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
The Chiefs captured a second straight county title, fourth in the last five years and 10th overall. Massapequa (10-2) will take on William Floyd in the Long Island Class I final next Saturday at Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium at 4:30 p.m.
It was the first Nassau County championship game decided in overtime since 2005 and the first Conference I final since Farmingdale beat Baldwin in 1999.
“It feels amazing,” said Villalta, who rushed for 109 yards on 25 carries. “All the hard work. I'm so proud of this group. We’ve been grinding forever, this senior class. We faced so much adversity, and we just answered the bell every single time.”
The Dalers (9-2) had won four of the previous five meetings against Massapequa in a county final. In head coach Kevin Shippos’ first county championship, Zach Kolodny kicked a winning 32-yard field goal as time expired for Farmingdale in 2013.
“It went through my head a little bit today. I hope it doesn't come down to it, but it did in our favor,” Shippos said. “So it was nice to finally be on the other end of that coin.”
It’s the second consecutive season the rivalry game went to overtime, with Massapequa winning on the road last October. In that game, Villalta rushed for the tying touchdown in overtime and the winning two-point conversion.
Villata again provided the heroics, this time with his left arm.
“I just wasn’t going to let it go by. I knew I had to make a catch,” Diesso said. “The ball’s in the air, and I just watched it into my arms. Tyler made a great throw, though. I owe it all to him. He could do everything, absolutely everything.”
Josh Kama, who rushed for 313 yards on 27 carries, accounted for all five Farmingdale touchdowns, including a 20-yard rush on the Dalers’ first play in overtime.
Farmingdale head coach Buddy Krumenacker opted to go for the conversion, but Kama was stopped one yard short by Massapequa junior defensive tackle Lucas Banushi.
Diesso rushed for two yards, Villata gained one yard, and Diesso’s pass to Frank Romano was incomplete. The defending champions’ season came down to one play. “Just in case” because “absolutely necessary.”
That Massapequa miracle wouldn’t have even come about if not for Diesso’s 11-yard tying touchdown run on 4th-and-9 with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter.
“My adrenaline was pumping. I got flushed out of the pocket, and there was just no way I was going down without getting in the end zone. I just had to. I owed it to my team. I owed it to my coaches. I just had to get in.”
