Blue Devils Top East Hampton, 16-0
The Ron Wilson Era was launched successfully as the Blue Devil football team dominated East Hampton last Saturday afternoon, 16-0. Huntington won the season opener with a mixture of passing and rushing and tight defense, including four quarterback sacks.
Wilson took over this season after longtime head coach Steve Muller stepped down. Since then, Wilson has worked feverishly to build a bigger roster and bring the team together as a singular unit, even taking his players bowling.
Against East Hampton, quarterback Brian Ruggiero completed 10-of-15 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Calvin Bollar made six receptions for 115 yards and added eight rushes for 42 yards. Wide receivers Tom Grossman (1 reception-for-21 yards) and Sean Whitney (3 receptions-for-24 yards) were also keys parts in the air war.
Huntington clicked on all cylinders early, jumping out to a 7-0 lead when Ruggiero found Bollar for a 15-yard scoring strike in the first quarter. Ricardo Cabellero converted the extra point, and the Blue Devils were on their way.
The one touchdown lead held up through halftime. Then in the third quarter, Ruggiero again found Bollar, this time for a 32-yard touchdown, to put the Blue Devils up 13-0. The team never looked back. Caballero added a 20-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final margin of victory.
Huntington’s backs rushed the ball 29 times for 133 yards, with Bollar, Ruggiero, Lonnie James, Peter Knutson, Brian Smith and Dasheem Hooks doing the grunt work. The Blue Devil defense was consistent throughout the game, making several big stops and shutting down any attempt by East Hampton to mount a comeback.
Huntington will look to win its second straight game this Sat. Sept. 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Eastport-South Manor.
Blue Devil Notes: Lonnie James, Joe Brown, Sean Whitney and Nick Sammartano all record sacks . . . James added an interception . . . Whitney and Sammartano recovered fumbles . . . James rushed six times for 33 yards and Ruggiero carried the ball six times for 27 yards . . . Huntington finished the 2007 season with a 5-3 record, outscoring opponents 220-156 . . . The Blue Devil home opener is slated for Sat. Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m. against Hauppauge.
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