Blue Devils Capture Big 10 Title
The way this year’s Huntington wrestling team is constructed, it is most suited for tournament competition. That was again evident last Saturday when the Blue Devils easily topped a 16-team field to capture the Big 10 Invitational at Albany.
Six Huntington wrestlers advanced to the finals and Nigel McNeil, Damon McQueen, Louis Puca and Ryan Fox emerged as champions. It was quite a day for the Blue Devils, who traveled to the upstate competition Friday night after besting Harborfields in a League V dual meet, 53-9.
Head coach Kieran Mock is looking for his team to peak at the upcoming league and Section XI tournaments. Huntington’s core group includes several mat stars that are expected to vie for county crowns and a trip to the state championships at the Times Union Center in Albany on February 26-27.
In the finals, McNeil (112 lbs.) and McQueen (119) each won their matches by technical fall, Puca (160) took a 13-7 decision and Fox (171) grabbed an 11-3 verdict. Maurice Loadholt (130) and Duncan Murchison (189) took second place, Corey Jamison (96) and Nick Lupi (215) finished third and T.J. Wilson (152) placed fourth.
McNeil and Fox were voted the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestlers by coaches of the competing teams. “Everyone wrestled really well,” assistant coach Travis Smith said.
Huntington was a runaway winner of the team title, scoring 228.5 points to handily defeat New Rochelle (167.5), Averill Park (157), Middletown (137), Burnt Hills (131.5), Whitehall (113), Amsterdam (110), Mechanicville (88.5), Guilderland (83.5), Albany Academy (70.5), Ravena (62.5), Cobleskill (53), Albany (52.5), Niskayuna (45), Warrensburgh (42) and Christian Brothers Academy (41).
The Blue Devils will compete in the League V tournament this Saturday (Feb. 6) at Eastport-South Manor High School. Competition begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues uninterrupted throughout the day. The top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the Section XI tournament at Stony Brook University on Friday and Saturday, February 12-13.
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