Blue Devil Sports News
The Huntington varsity baseball team opened the season with an exciting 4-3 victory over Half Hollow Hills East at home. Danny Goldstein picked up the win, fanning 12 batters over five innings and surrendering only two hits. Nick Sammartano picked up the save with a flawless seventh inning.
The Blue Devils looked sharp on a crisp spring day. Luis Lopez drove in a run with a double and Jimmy Olivia collected a pair of hits, including a single that brought Danny Teplin across the plate in the third inning with what ultimately proved to be the winning run.
The Blue Devils were equally sensational in a 4-1 win at Comsewogue. The teams were locked in a 1-1 tie when Max Sender sent a double down the right field line to drive in Nick Sammartano with the go-ahead run. Sammartano also tossed a two-hit, complete game victory on the mount with five strikeouts. Mike Taylor went 2-of-3 with a pair of RBIs.
Lax Drops Season Opener
Smithtown East outscored the Huntington boys’ lacrosse team in the second half, 4-2 and defeated the Blue Devils, 8-5. Nick Saputo notched two goals for Huntington and Stephen Mock, Pat Brady and Andrew Brohel also scored. Junior Andrew Sheerin stopped nine shots in goal.
Tennis Wins Tight One
The Huntington boys’ tennis team won its first meet of the season when it topped Kings Park, 4-3. Matt Rubin and Peter Wager came back to capture third doubles, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 to seal the victory.
In other matches, Matt Valente and Dan Rabinowitz rallied in No. 1 doubles to win, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. David Stillman and Justin Greenidge took No. 2 doubles, 6-1, 6-2. Cole Peters won in No. 2 singles, 7-5, 6-2.
Heartbreaking Loss for Softball
A two-day game ended with the Huntington girls’ softball team losing in heartbreaking fashion, 7-6. The game was suspended due to darkness with the Blue Devils and Sayville tied 5-5. The next day, Huntington took a 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth inning and looked to lock-up the game, but the Golden Flashes had a different idea, with a two-out, walk-off two-run double to end the long affair. Caitlin Ortiz blasted a home run for the Blue Devils. Pitcher Samantha Jacoby was saddled with the loss.
Giani Doing Well
Justin Giani enjoyed a very fine athletic career with the Blue Devil wrestling and cross country teams. The Class of 2007 member is doing just as well academically and athletically at Drexel University in Philadelphia where he’s a sophomore.
“Drexel is going great and I can't really complain about anything,” Giani said. Last fall he completed four classes within his business administration major. He then knocked off five more courses, including three in his major and a pair of free electives, during the winter term. Through it all, he’s maintained a grade point average above 3.0.
Giani isn’t taking any classes during the current spring term or the coming summer semester. Instead, he’s participating in Drexel’s unique cooperative program. The Huntington grad will be in the field as part of an internship-type experience. “This co-op is required by the school for your sophomore, pre-junior, and junior years,” the Huntington grad explained.
In addition to a challenging academic load, Giani is a member of Drexel’s NCAA Division I wrestling team. He began this past season in the 133 lb. weight class, going 3-2 in the opening tournament and coming within a round of placing. Then the weight “started getting to me,” he said, so he moved up to 141 lbs. He’s hoping to start for the team at that same weight next season.
Finley Baseball Gets New Coach
Huntington School Board members have appointed Tom Tantillo as the baseball coach at J. Taylor Finley Middle School, where he also works as a science teacher. He earned a BA degree in biology at SUNY College at Purchase in 1995 and obtained a master of arts in education at Hofstra in 2000. Tantillo has served as a volunteer football coach at Finley.
Swimming Scholars
Several members of the Blue Devil boys’ swimming team earned New York State Scholar Athlete awards for their fine academic performance. The honorees include Jake Goldstein, Chris McQuade, Pat O’Brien, Andrew Reiver, Will Christensen, Connor Leek, Justin LoScalzo, Ryan LoScalzo, Michael Sullivan, Jake Wohl and Greg Meyers.
Delva Sparkles in Cheerleading
Junior Edna Delva captained the Blue Devil varsity cheerleading team this past winter and earned high praise from her coach. “Edna has been on varsity for three years now and has certainly come into her own,” said cheerleading coach Rebecca Robey. “I have great confidence in her ability to steer the squad. She teaches the new girls what they need to know and keeps them on track during the game.”
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