School Board Considers College Game at Blue Devil Stadium
Huntington School Board members are considering a proposal to allow a college lacrosse game on the synthetic turf field at Blue Devil Stadium on March 18. If approved, the contest will put SUNY Plattsburgh against Eastern Connecticut.
The proposal was brought forward by Huntington Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy. The Plattsburgh team features several former Blue Devil players led by scoring star Frank Sangiovanni, who tallied 48 goals last year.
“The students who are members of the Plattsburgh team were advocates of the construction of the turf field and were a part of a group of student-athletes who made phone calls to notify the community of the bond referendum,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “I believe this will be a great way for us to give back to these graduates who did not have an opportunity to play on this field, but worked hard to see it completed for their younger brothers, sisters and teammates.”
School trustees will consider the proposal at their next meeting on Mon. Jan. 7. “If we agree to permit this game to be played on our turf field, we will need to amend our current policy 3273, Supplemental Requirements for Use of Huntington High School’s Turf Field,” Superintendent John J. Finello said.
The 5’9, 165 lb. Sangiovanni helped Plattsburgh finish last season with a 9-6 record. He started 14 of 15 games, and tallied nine assists to go with his team high 48 goals for a total of 57 points. Sangiovanni, who wears number 32 on the field, launched 96 shots, including 70 on goal and bagged four game winners. He also scooped up 24 ground balls.
Former Blue Devil Adrian Marino is also returning to the Plattsburgh squad. Last year he scored 10 goals and notched nine assists for the college team. Two other former Huntington stars, Stephan Marino and Patrick Nastro, are also expected to be on the field for Plattsburgh after transferring into the school from Long Island colleges.
“Head coach Paul McDermott feels that this will be a great showcase for our student athletes that are geared toward participating at the Division III level,” Mrs. McCarthy said. Matt Cukro, a member of the Huntington High School Class of 2002 is currently a Plattsburgh graduate assistant coach.
Mrs. McCarthy said she was “excited” by the proposal. The two colleges would be required to present the Huntington School District with certificates of insurance. If the proposal is approved, volunteers would handle clock/scoreboard operations and chaperone duties.
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