HHS Boys' Track Crosses Finish Line
The feisty Huntington High School indoor boys' track and field team closed out another successful season with eight athletes winning post-season honors. Two Blue Devils reached the state championships at Cornell University in Ithaca.
Shaheem Lewis, Y'Majesty Allen, Thomas Boisclair, Joshua Watkins, Sondy Jean-Baptiste, Matteo McNeil, Jimmie Nelson and Lawrence Leake all earned All-League honors. Lewis and Allen went on to grab All-County and All-Long Island recognition. Boisclair was named to the All-County Academic team.
"The boy's track team continues to show a lot of promise," said Ronald Wilson, Huntington's head coach. "We had many underclassmen along with some experienced juniors and seniors that did very well this season."
The Blue Devils finished third in the League IV standings and placed third in the Suffolk Small School Championships. "We had a very young and talented group of athletes," Wilson said. "They gave their best efforts at every meet. I'm very proud of their accomplishments this season. They made coming to practice enjoyable for me."
Lewis, Allen & Boisclair
In his final season with the winter team, Lewis excelled, winning the league shot put crown and then battling his way to the small school county title with a throw of 52'4. The effort shattered the school shot put record of 49'10.5 set last year by Trayvon Toney.
Lewis went on to earn All-Long Island honors, throwing the shot put 52'1 to place third at the Long Island Championships at St. Anthony's. "He's a gentle giant that gave us a lot this season and we're looking for him to be even more impressive during the spring," Wilson said. Lewis capped off his season by taking ninth place in the state finals.
Allen was another Blue Devil star, shining in the 55m and 300m dashes and the 4x400m relay. The junior ran a personal best and new school record time of 35.77 seconds in the 300m to place fifth in the Molly Stanner Games. The time ranked him among the Milesplit US First Team Elite. He went on to run 6.78 seconds in the 55m dash at the Christmas Classic at St. Anthony's to set a new Huntington record in that event.
"Allen is an outstanding athlete who worked his tail off this season," Wilson said. "His hard work paid big dividends, earning him a berth in the state championships." The teenager placed second at the Long Island Championships in a time of 35.79 and went on to finish 13th in the state finals.
Boisclair specialized in the 600m, 1000m and 4x400m relay. "He was our top distance runner this year," Wilson said. "It was a hard feat, but he was up for the challenge. He would often run events ranging from the 300m dash to the 1600m run."
A member of Huntington's county championship 4x400m relay, Boisclair was the team's third leg with the other legs being held down by Exzayvian Crowell, Josh Watkins and Y'Majesty Allen. "Thomas is hard working and is very demanding of his teammates," Wilson said.
Future Looks Bright
The future looks bright for the Blue Devils. "Next year we should do well," Wilson said. "The only place where we are still hurting is the distance events. We return quite a few experienced players who earned All-League and All-County honors."
Allen will return along with Exayvian Crowell and Jahmik Curry in the 55m hurdles. Infinite Tucker, Cameron Knox and eighth grade sensation Lawrence Leake were impressive in the freshmen county championships and should continue to improve next year.
"Our throwing program shouldn't miss a beat," Wilson said. Long Island finalist Matteo McNeil returns and might make a run at the county title. Fellow thrower Jimmie McNeil should also improve upon this year's performances.
Sondy Jean-Baptiste will be back in the high jump next winter. "He was very impressive this year and we look forward to him doing some great things this spring and next winter season," Wilson said.
Wilson would like to see a running club established at the intermediate grade level to get more athletes interested in track and field. "Our goal is to continue to teach the fundamentals of track and field to high school athletes," the coach said. "We are aiming to compete at a high level, win our league and county championships and make it to the state championship and win there as well."
Blue Devil Notes: Thomas Boisclair, Shaheem Lewis, Joshua Watkins and Y'Majesty Allen served as team captains . . . Eli Acosta and Shawn Anderson assisted Wilson . . . There were 38 athletes on the roster at the start of the season and 31 remaining when the campaign wrapped up.