Blue Devil JV Football Turns Back East Hampton, 22-6
Huntington junior varsity football coach Ron Wilson likened his team’s recent game against East Hampton to a battle between David and Goliath. Whether that’s an accurate description or not one thing is for sure: The Blue Devils captured a decisive victory, 22-6 behind some fancy play on both sides of the ball.
The win improved Huntington’s record to 2-0. A booming opening kickoff by Paul Aramanda to East Hampton’s six-yard line was returned all the way to the Blue Devil 67-yards with only a saving tackle by sophomore Anthony Cruz preventing a touchdown. But, then Huntington’s defense took command and forced the Bonacker’s to punt on fourth-and-seven. It marked an early turning point in the game.
Wilson said his team was “amazed” at the “great size” of the East Hampton players when the Bonackers arrived for the game. Hence the story of David and Goliath as the coach used a football analogy to make it all real for his players.
“I told them the offense is the sling shot and the defense is the stone,” Wilson recounted. “Size is nothing compared to the amount of heart one shows. Play with ‘one heartbeat’ and watch the giant fall. That’s exactly how it happened from the first whistle in the first quarter until the last whistle in the fourth.”
Once Huntington’s offense got its hands on the ball it quickly mounted a drive that saw running back Calvin Bollar scoot six-yards into the end zone to put the Blue Devils ahead. On the day, Bollar rushed for 46 yards on 14 carries.
Huntington’s defense was stellar, limiting East Hampton to just 47 total yards in the first half. Sophomore safety Tom Grossman contributed one of the most exciting plays of the afternoon, running down a Bonacker receiver before he could make it into the end zone. Grossman finished the day with eight solo tackles and three assists. Ricardo Caballero, Alex Gennaro and Bollar each recorded six tackles, respectively.
The Blue Devil offense was effective, but wasn’t perfect. “We had some problems finishing drives and punching it into the end zone,” Wilson said. In the first half, Huntington was stopped three times just short of the goal line, once having to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Aramanda. It gave the Men in Blue a 10-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Huntington’s defense continued to dominate and the offense kept right on clicking as freshman quarterback Will Coffey scored on a three-yard run. Aramanda scored the Blue Devils’ final touchdown of the day late in the fourth quarter.
Blue Devil coach Tim Madden was quick to credit his players for showing “discipline on the field” and for believing in Huntington’s system, which centers on the philosophy of “brotherhood.” It’s been a winning formula so far.
Blue Devil Notes: Aramanda rushed 18 times for 86 yards and made one reception for 17 yards . . . James rushed 15 times for 66 yards . . . Luis Lopez recorded one catch for 23 yards, which led to Aramanda’s late game touchdown . . . Coffey connected on 4-of-8 passes for 65 yards.
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