Blue Devil Football Gears Up
The Huntington football program is gearing up for the start of the season this weekend against Islip. Players have been conditioning and running through plays since mid-August and the Blue Devils are anxious for the opening kick-off.
“The first day of practice a huge success,” said Ron Wilson, who is back to coaching the junior varsity team after serving as interim varsity head coach last fall while Steve Muller took a leave of absence from the position. “We met with athletes on Wednesday and were very excited to see so many kids at the meeting. We had 61 kids show up that morning and on the few following days another 16 athletes turned out giving us a total of 77 athletes.”
Muller is back in the saddle for his 14th season as the head man. Through the first 13 campaigns his teams have compiled a record of 82-40 for a fine .672 winning percentage. In addition to Wilson, the staff includes Todd Jamison, Joe Poller and Tim Madden and several volunteer coaches.
This year’s team hit the ground running on the first day. “What really helped us out this year was having the physicals and pre-season meetings in June and another in August,” Wilson said. “We didn't have to worry about students being ineligible to play. That was huge!”
The first few weeks of the season have also been a time for the players and coaches to bond together as one unit. “You know, the first week of practice we put the kids through some rigorous activities,” Wilson said. “It’s a lot of conditioning and learning the offense and defense. Two practices a day weren't easy for the athletes or the coaches, however, we all made it through.”
Two weeks into the new season, the Blue Devil coaching staff decided it was time for a special team building activity. “We decided to give our athletes the evening off and take them to Dave and Busters in Farmingdale,” Wilson said. “We had two bus loads of about 63 players. What a time we had! The athletes and coaches enjoyed one another’s company away from the field. They didn't have to worry about us yelling and we didn't have to worry about them doing something wrong on the field or complaining. It was a great day!”
The father of one of the Huntington players made the necessary arrangements at Dave and Busters, which routinely hosts fundraising activities and programs for teams and schools. “Our kids had the time of their lives and the coaches did as well,” Wilson said.
Muller took on senior Greg Corbly in a friendly battle of Safari Hunt. Poller, Madden and volunteer assistant Jim McCabe squared off in a game of NASCAR racing against junior Ryan Mulligan and sophomore Trayvon Toney. Seniors Tom Grossman, Pete Knutson and Luis Lopez, and junior Dante Allen enjoyed most of their time with speed, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Zaharios on the bowling lanes.
In fact, bowling was perhaps the most popular activity. “We split the entire team up by positions,” Wilson explained. For example, all the quarterbacks, junior varsity and varsity running backs, receivers and linemen bowled on the same lines. “This gave our younger players some time to hang out with the more mature players. It was nice to see how well they got along with one another.”
The Blue Devils are coming off a 4-5 record in 2008. The squad lost a series of close games. Graduation has created new opportunities for younger players anxious to prove themselves. The coaching staff hopes a close-knit atmosphere can spur rapid on-field development.
“Coach Muller and I both looked around as the kids were enjoying themselves at Dave and Busters and said ‘this is what it's all about; kids and coaches having fun, helping each other out. Now they’re ready to get it done on the playing field.’"
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