The Massapequa Chiefs overcame an early injury to their senior captain and quarterback Brad Baldinger, and created eight turnovers to roll over Uniondale by a score of 35-0 at their homecoming game on Oct. 17.
The Chiefs defense was ferocious all afternoon, intercepting five passes and recovering three fumbles. During one stretch in the second half, they created turnovers on six consecutive drives—simply remarkable at any level of football. The Uniondale Knights did not run one play closer than the Chiefs’ 35-yard line and that resulted in a turnover.
“That’s the way that they can play,” said head coach Kevin Shippos. “We’ve kind of been inconsistent over the first four games. Last week we picked it up against Baldwin and today we showed the way we can play.”
However, the game got off to a very painful start for the Chiefs. After having their first drive result in a punt, they appeared poised to put together a nice drive on their next possession.
The combination of Baldinger and running back Sal Americo rushed seven times and pushed the Chiefs to the six-yard line of the Knights. On third and three, Baldinger dropped back and appeared to have an open man but the pass was intercepted in the end zone by the cornerback and returned to the 21-yard line.
After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Chiefs began their drive at midfield. Baldinger and wide receiver Justin Lynskey linked up for a nice 20-yard reception to convert a third and nine situation. After a modest three-yard gain for Americo, Lynsky caught another one, this time for 11 yards to put the ball at the 9-yard line. On third and four, with the clock running out before the first quarter, Baldinger dropped back and lobbed a pass into the end zone, but it was deflected and intercepted just before it hit the ground. Baldinger took a huge hit on the play and suffered an injury to his elbow, which resulted in him being out for the rst of the game.
Backup quarterback Anthony Buckshaw began his first drive at the 49-yard line, but threw an interception on his second attempt of the day. It was on this drive, however, that the Chiefs’ defense began to force turnovers at an astonishing rate. First, it was junior Chris Wasson who picked off a third and nine pass and returned it to the 27-yard line. That concluded the first half with the score tied 0-0. The third quarter was a different animal.
Uniondale began the quarter with the ball on their own 34-yard line when the running back fumbled and it was recovered by Matt Caminiti of the Chiefs. After an incomplete pass by Buckshaw, Americo rushed for a gain of 14 and then roared through the line for an easy 25-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs on the board. Uniondale’s hope to get back into the game with a score, was crushed when Wasson once again took the steam out of their sail with an interception on third down.
“It was definitely the best game of my career,” said Wasson, a junior. “The offense has held us up for the past couple of games, so it was key that we stepped up for the offense this time.”
After that interception, the offense was able to use the short field to their advantage. Buckshaw rushed for a 25-yard gain and scored from 10-yards out on a quarterback keeper. The following drive also produced a negative result for the Knights. After a 13-yard loss on a fumbled snap and two incompletions, Lynskey made a tremendous diving play for an interception on fourth and eight at the Chief’s 40-yard line.
After two modest gains by Buckshaw, Tommy Macri made a nice catch and scampered for 28 yards to the Knights’ 21-yard line. He followed up with a 10-yard gain to get to the 12. Buckshaw punched it in with a 5-yard touchdown to open the game up to 21-0.
On the ensuing drive, Frank Callan made an astonishing one-handed interception and scooted through the Uniondale offensive line, diving into the end zone for a pick-6. It was a play rarely seen by a high school line backer and the fans and coaches were all in amazement. After the extra point, the score was an insurmountable 28-0, concluding the third quarter.
It was a game filled with excitement for the hometown faithful, featuring 28 points and producing a turnover on every possession for their defense.
The fourth quarter was much more docile. The Chiefs scored their fifth touchdown of the game, this time on a one-yard run for Americo, his second of the day. He finished with 127 yards on 17 carries.
The 35-0 shutout was very impressive for Massapequa. They improve to 4-2 on the season and have a showdown looming with rival Farmingdale next week.
“If we play like we did today, we’ll be alright,” said Shippos.
