Blue Devil Sports News
The Huntington Booster Club continues to work closely with all of Huntington’s sports programs. When varsity wrestling head coach Kieran Mock decided to organize a large contingent to run in the Thanksgiving Day Townwide Fund four-mile race, he turned to the Booster Club for help in securing Huntington athletic t-shirts for his team members. Once again, Booster Club President Barbara Cutrone came through and the young men were easily identifiable as they ran through the streets of the town.
Beck is Back
Jill Beck, a 2005 graduate of Huntington High School, has returned to her alma mater as the varsity assistant women’s basketball coach. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Iona College, graduating last spring. She is currently applying to graduate schools for a master’s in physical therapy.
With the Blue Devils, Ms. Beck played four years of field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She captained Huntington’s women’s basketball team, but went on to play varsity lacrosse at Iona.
As the assistant basketball coach, Ms. Beck will work with her former high school coach, Brad Reminick, who is the Blue Devils’ head coach. She always said Mr. Reminick was her favorite coach because no matter what the outcome, he always had something positive to say to the team at the end of a game or practice and he made it fun.
Fleet-footed Blue Devil Alum
Francisco Pereira ran on the Huntington High School cross country team, but he really made a name for himself in the sport of wrestling. With the Blue Devils, Pereira won league championships in 2005 and 2008 and earned All-County honors three times. He was the team’s high scorer and MVP in 2006. In five years on the varsity he notched 142 career wins – more than any other Huntington wrestler ever.
But, on Thanksgiving Day morning, Pereira was back running, this time in the Townwide Fund’s four-mile race. The Huntington alum finished 27th out of 1,394 runners in a time of 24:22.
After attending C.W. Post College last year and earning very fine grades, Pereira decided he wanted to try his hand at wrestling again. Since Post doesn’t have a mat program, he transferred to Nassau Community College and is on the team there this winter. He ultimately wants to be a physical education teacher and coach.
Fencing Staff Addition
Valinda O’Garra has joined the Blue Devil fencing team staff. A graduate of Huntington High School, she earned an associate’s degree at Suffolk Community College. She worked as a volunteer coach in 2008 and was on the staff of the Booster Club’s summer fencing camp.
Lax in Family Blood
Karly Kocis heads into her senior lacrosse season knowing her athletic future is set at St. Bonaventure University after signing an NCAA Division I letter of intent to play there. The Blue Devil lax goalie is walking around content these days.
The Kocis family has lacrosse in its blood. Her dad, Bob Kocis, was the head lacrosse coach for her team from third through sixth grade and he’s the former president of the Huntington Village Lacrosse Club. Karly’s sister Jillian, a Huntington sophomore, plays lacrosse, as well as field hockey and Karly’s brother, Ben is an eighth grade football, basketball and lacrosse player in eight grade at J. Taylor Finley Middle School. Bob Kocis has also coached his son’s lax team from third through sixth grade.
Norton Joins Blue Devils
Hugh Norton has been hired as the assistant coach of the J. Taylor Finley Middle School wrestling team. A 1958 graduate of Huntington High School, he obtained a B.S. degree in business at Kansas State University in 1967. He later earned two master degrees at C.W. Post in education and administration in 1978 and 1992, respectively.
Mr. Norton worked as a dean at Plainedge High School from 1986 to 1996 and coached wrestling (1987-2006), football (1989-2008) and lacrosse (1989-1998) there. He is a certified administrator and elementary and math teacher.
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