Blue Devil Crew Appears Well-Positioned
This could be a very good year for the Huntington High School crew team. While there is still plenty of work to be done, for sure, the Blue Devils appear well-positioned to achieve a healthy amount of success following a spring season that saw the roster filled exclusively with underclassmen.
The spring squad was led by Amber Lindner, Andrew Mollitor, Ben Warren, Grace Dreusike, Sara Totura and Scott Garofalo. Lindner, Mollitor, Dreusike and Greg West captained the Blue Devils. With so many rowers returning this year, Huntington will once again have the depth that was its trademark until graduation recently thinned its ranks.
"This year saw the team medal in several local events, including the Long Island Championships, but the success this year was really at home," head coach Marc Jensen said following the spring season. "We came from being a young and inexperienced crew to one that worked cooperatively to become competitive, if not medal winners at states."
Linder, now a senior, showed she's a determined rower, "who has made huge progress," Jensen said. Mollitor, also a senior, has gained strength and risen to hold a leadership role with the Blue Devils. Warren, a talented sophomore, is one of Huntington's fastest rowers despite being a relative novice in the sport
Dreusike, Totura and Garofalo are also among the top rowers on the team. "Grace is a year-round rower who leads by example," Jensen said about Dreusike, a sophomore this year. "Sara is focused and determined to improve every season," the coach added about Totura, a junior.
Garofalo, a senior, is another integral cog in Huntington's machine. "Scott has grown into a rower to be reckoned with and has the potential to win big," Jensen said.
There were many positive aspects to last spring's season, which quite possibly laid the groundwork for success over the next few years. "This team was remarkable for its unity and support of each by the whole," Jensen said. "Though they raced as 'boats,' they competed as a team."