Huntington JV Football Makes Believers of both Fans and Opponents
The Huntington junior varsity football team is still savoring a fall season that saw the Blue Devil outscore its opponents, 176-73. The result was a 7-1 record and along with the development of some very good players who seem destined to figure prominently in the varsity gridiron program for several years to come.
The highlight of the season came in a 14-6 victory over undefeated rival Comsewogue. Trailing 6-0 at halftime, the Blue Devils kicked it into high gear. “The second half we came out with a deep desire to win the game,” said Ron Wilson, who coached the team with Tim Madden. “We scored in the third quarter, giving us a 7-6 lead and then again in the fourth quarter. Our defense came up big this time by putting pressure on the quarterback and batting down balls that were thrown in the air.”
Wilson said the program benefited from what amounted to a complete team effort. Top players Calvin Bollar, Ricardo Caballero and Thomas Grossman were only as good as their supporting cast. “Our top individual athletes would not have those honors if it weren’t for the rest of the team,” the coach said. “There were others who also achieved greatness throughout the season.”
Wilson pointed to linemen Pat Einhorn, CJ Herring, Peter Kingston, Nick Thompson and Keith Smith, along with quarterback Pat Coffey and running backs Lonnie James, Paul Aramanda and Louie Lopez as players who “also gave stellar performances.” Many others shined out of view of the bright lights.
The coaches believe that this year’s team made progress both on and off the field. “Our players know that the main ingredient in stardom is the rest of the team,” Wilson said. “They really bought into this system of brotherhood that we preach day in and day out. Their commitment and dedication to the team allowed them to help each other sustain a high level of play for an entire season, staying mentally focused and physically strong.”
What next season will ultimately look like is still a mystery. “Who knows,” Wilson said. “Your guess is as good as mine. There are some talented eighth graders that I know of, but you just never know until that first day of practice in August. One thing for sure is that we will probably again be mostly made up of ninth graders.”
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