Blue Devil Boys' Winter Track Gears Up
With a few weeks of practice under its collective belt, the Huntington High School boys' winter track and field team is gearing up for his first set of competitions.
"We are pretty excited about the upcoming winter season," head coach Ron Wilson said. "There were 56 athletes that came out for the team. I don't think we've ever seen those types of numbers for indoor track."
As is understandable, some of the athletes coming out for the team decided the sport wasn't for them for a variety of reasons. But, 45 athletes appear to be in for the long haul, so Huntington will have plenty of depth. Eli Acosta, who coaches the varsity boys' cross country team and is the spring track team's assistant coach, will be helping Wilson out a few days a week, concentrating on the distance runners and hurdlers. "We will do our best to prepare our young men for competition," Wilson said.
The Blue Devils finished second in the league standings last winter despite having a very young team. "We have quite a few of those athletes returning," Wilson said.
Freshmen, Tyler Wolfe competed on the varsity as an eighth grader and should improve in the distance events. Sophomore Tyriek Johnson will look to defend his league championship in the 55m hurdles and the long jump. (He was also the Suffolk Division II champion in the 110m high hurdles from the outdoor season.)
With dedicated training and focus, Johnson could very well shatter school records and is poised to make his debut in a state championship. "He's a phenomenal athlete that has unlimited potential," Wilson said.
In the shot put, Huntington returns Richie Fernandez, Trayvon Toney and Dante Allen who all earned all-league honors last winter. Fernandez is regarded as one of the top shot putters in the county. "He was a baseball player that gave up his glove to become a full-time thrower for our track and field program," Wilson said. "He's a strong young man that puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform well every time he steps into the circle. He's the 'sleeper' on the team. He's going to be a big factor for us if he works hard in practice."
Allen is also a major talent. "What a machine," Wilson said about the senior. "He's a hard worker, strong, fast, never complains and always looks to impress others with his performances." Allen will compete in the shot put, run the 300m dash and be the third leg on the 4 x 200m relay team.
Toney is a multi-talented athlete that can contest any event. "He's going to be a lead leg for our 4 x 200m relay team and a sprinter in the 55m dash and the 300m dash," Wilson said. (Toney throws the shot, but his feature event is the discus, which is thrown during the outdoor season and not contested in the winter.)
Another thrower that will be making his debut in winter track is huge sophomore, Shaheem Lewis. He played basketball last winter and then took up track in the spring, winning all-league honors. During the outdoor season, Lewis placed second in the frosh/soph championship in the discus and the shot put. That hooked him. This season, Lewis said he is looking to take first.
Last year, Huntington's 10th graders won the Suffolk Sophomore Championship. "In the distance events, now juniors Ryan Ackerman and Jared Thorbourne put in some great performances to help us win that crown," Wilson said. "They both should continue to progress in their events this winter."
The team has some newcomers on it and a couple of others who are returning after a year-long layoff. Junior Michael Marchetta has speed and should help the Blue Devils in the sprints and relays. Seniors Eric Szilagy and Sharif Jarvis are both back with experience in distance racing and should do well. Freshmen Y'Majesty Allen, Giancarlo Puello, Josh Watkins, Joe Thomas, and Anthony Fischer are regarded as the next crop of athletes that will make a big impact in the track and field world.
Huntington has some noteworthy eighth graders on its roster, including Kyle Davis (long jump and sprints) Christian Fiordelisi (sprints) and Matteo McNeil (thrower).
Wilson is fond of quoting former Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weiss, who once said, "Hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it you don't have a chance."
"We are going to work hard and prepare ourselves, so we don't miss out on our chance at being successful this season," Wilson said.