H-ton Special Olympics Floor Hockey Wins Gold
Huntington High School's Special Olympic floor hockey team completed its season with a 7-0 mark. The Blue Devils recently traveled to Yonkers for the regional tournament and swept their division behind the strong efforts of a group of determined players.
Seeded first in its division, Huntington outscored its regional opponents 30-6 in the tournament, which was held at the Yonkers Montessori Academy. The gold medal winning Blue Devils were paced by Megan Latini, Rachel Stollmack, Andrew Oh, Liam Mrotzek, Nick Smyth, John Cronin, Chris Sorenson, Stephanie Quesquen, John Manaker, Eric Vallecillo, goalie Isabel Casey and alum Brendan Cribbin.
After several years of experience under its collective belt, Huntington is now a veteran team. Players have displayed deft stickhandling, passing, shooting and defending abilities. The Blue Devils have held regular practice sessions to refine their skills.
Last Saturday, several members of the team travel to Queensbury, New York to participate in regional winter games events. The Blue Devils participated in various snowshoeing contests. The team has been practicing on Saturday mornings at Fleets Cove Beach in Centerport.
Coached by Linda Roth, Chris Hender and Glen Manaker, Huntington's floor hockey team is now more than two years old. It was launched with the help of the Huntington Booster Club, which funded the purchase of sticks, pucks, helmets and nets. "The Booster Club helped make this program and our success possible," Mrs. Roth said.