Oceanside tops Massapequa, 42-39

The last time Kyle Scheurer played in a high school football game prior to Friday night was in 2021 when he quarterbacked Oceanside’s JV team. He skipped the past two seasons to focus on baseball, the sport he’s planning to play at the next level.

With a little urging from head coach Rob Blount, the two-time All-Conference outfielder/pitcher made a decision last spring to return to the gridiron for his senior year, and his varsity debut couldn’t have been more memorable.

Scheurer had a 56-yard touchdown reception, a 35-yard scoring run and a 43-yard pick-6 — all in the third quarter along with a second interception — as the host Sailors knocked off defending Nassau Conference I and Long Island Class I champion Massapequa, 42-39, before an overflow home crowd.

“I did miss football and it’s great to be back and help us get a big win,” Scheurer said. “We’ve been working hard all summer and I’m so happy we won. The crowd was electric and pumped us up all night.”

Oceanside returned 18 starters from a team that reached the semifinals a year ago; Massapequa graduated 30 from its perfect 12-0 squad.

“It got a little too close for comfort at the end, but we had a great third quarter and found a way to fight through and close it out,” Blount said. “We’re a veteran team now and it’s a great win.

“Kyle’s new to us but he’s not new to football,” he noted of Scheurer. “He might be the best athlete in the whole school.”

In addition to the momentum-swinging touchdown pass to Scheurer just before halftime, senior quarterback Luke Villella (8-for-13, 189 yards) added a pair of touchdown runs for Oceanside, which held off a late Chiefs rally after scoring 35 straight points to lead 42-17 after the third.

“We gave up a touchdown late in the first half and at halftime we talked about coming out strong in the third quarter, but we did just the opposite,” Massapequa head coach Kevin Shippos said. “Credit to Oceanside. They took advantage of our youth. I like how our guys battled back, but we have a long way to go.”

Senior Tyler Villalta had 7- and 45-yard touchdown runs and junior Chris Bascetta booted a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter as Massapequa took a 17-7 lead after Oceanside opened the scoring late in the first on sophomore Chase Morris’ 2-yard touchdown run.

Scheurer, Villella and an O-line led by senior Dylan Kakareko dominated the third quarter. The Sailors scored three touchdowns in a span of 2:41 to send the crowd into a frenzy and added a fourth on a direct snap to Scheurer.

But the Chiefs, who’ve captured three of the last four county titles, didn’t go quietly. Villalta added his third touchdown on the ground and senior quarterback Joey Diesso connected with Andrew Pedalino (32 yards) and Frank Romano (26) for scores, and with junior Cole Villalta on a two-point conversion, to cut the margin to a field goal with 2:36 remaining.

The Sailors secured what would be the game’s final kickoff and ran out the clock after senior Andrew Dato (67 yards on 10 carries) moved the chains on third-and-2.