Best of Nassau football: Massapequa takes home the Rutgers Cup
Massapequa celebrates after winning the Long Island Class I football championship against Ward Melville on Nov. 28 at Hofstra. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
The Massapequa and Garden City football teams have both been on a special run. Both runs extended this season.
They each went 12-0 and continued their dominance in the Long Island championships.
Garden City defeated East Islip, 10-7, for the Class II title. It marked the Trojans’ fifth straight LI crown and extended their state record winning streak to 66 games, which is also the longest active streak in the nation.
Massapequa beat Ward Melville, 14-12, for its third straight Class I title and fourth in the last five years.
Both teams entered the Nassau County High School Football Coaches Association awards banquet on Wednesday night at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury worthy of the Rutgers Cup, presented to Nassau’s most outstanding team.
But for the seventh time in school history, Massapequa earned the Rutgers Cup with 33 first-place votes and 130 points.
“It’s the ultimate team trophy,” coach Kevin Shippos said. “It’s an honor to be selected as the Rutgers Cup champion by the coaches. It’s a tribute to our seniors and all the hard work they’ve done over the last four years. It’s an honor to be alongside a program like Garden City.”
Garden City finished second with 15 first-place votes and 111 points. Seaford, the Conference IV champion placed third with 35 points and Wantagh, the Nassau Conference III champion, had 17 points.
Shippos knew his defense would be stout with several impact players returning, but the X-factor in Massapequa’s success was the development of Luke Garguilo, who won the Don Snyder Award, given to Nassau’s top quarterback.
“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work that starts in our youth programs and continues all the up through the varsity level,” Shippos said.
Massapequa last won the Rutgers Cup in 2023, with Garden City winning it last year.
“Massapequa is on a great run,” Garden City coach Dave Ettinger said. “They haven’t had many slip-ups in the last few years. Coach Shippos does an outstanding job. I have nothing but respect for Kevin and his program.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
