Blue Devils Run Past
Harborfields, 35-14
Calvin Bollar ran for three touchdowns and Dan Plant passed for two more as the Huntington football team easily turned back Haborfields last Saturday afternoon, 35-14, to advance to the Suffolk Division III semi-finals at Islip this Friday night at 6 p.m.
The battle played out in Blue Devil Stadium before a crowd of about 1,200, including several hundred Tornado fans that made the cross-town trek. Huntington (7-2) did just about everything right as it built a 21-6 halftime advantage.
The Blue Devils won the regular season match-up between the two teams, 35-0 but in the post-season the coaching staff knew that anything can happen. "We worked hard all week to prevent our players from suffering a letdown," Huntington head coach Steve Muller said. "Everyone came ready to play."
Bollar was a bull, frequently dragging would be tacklers an extra few yards. The senior rushed 20 times for 122 yards. Plant completed 10-of-16 passes for 214 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown pass to Tyre Brown with only seconds remaining in the first half and a 30 yard bullet to Ryan Mulligan midway through the third quarter that put the game on ice for the Blue Devils.
Harborfields (5-4) struggled to keep pace with Huntington's high octane offense. Meanwhile, Plant executed the Blue Devil game plan perfectly, including a series of effective play-action passes. Mulligan caught four passes for 118 yards. "Ryan did a great job tracking the ball," Muller said.
With Huntington leading 7-0, Harborfields struck back on an 18-yard touchdown pass. But, the Tornadoes' extra point attempt was blocked by Nick Saputo, a play that electrified the team and fans. Harborfields wouldn't reach the end zone again until late in the game.
The Blue Devils controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the afternoon, opening gaping holes for Huntington's running backs and preventing the Tornado offense from getting untracked. The linemen have become a tight-knit group that takes pride in its work, which is often unsung but vital to the team's success.
Huntington had many heroes on this day, including Trayvon Toney, who turned in another huge game. The junior rushed 12 times for 41 yards, intercepted a pass on a ball that was deflected by lineman Jack Forster, and made eight tackles. "Trayvon has really been on a tear this fall," Muller said. "He can do it all and he's helped make us a much stronger football team."
With Huntington playing its best football of the fall, the Blue Devils' confidence is soaring.
Blue Devil Notes: Brown caught three passes for 65 yards . . . Huntington led 35-7 after three quarters . . . Tom Mulligan had a pair of receptions for 31 yards . . . As has become the norm, the crowd was late-arriving . . . Dante Allen recorded a sack . . . The Blue Devil marching band performed its field show, "Pursuit," at halftime . . . Huntington made it through the game without any player suffering an injury.