Blue Devil Sports News
Huntington athletic department secretary Amy Smith has been appointed as the district's liaison to MSG Varsity, a 24/7 television network that cover high school sports, activities and academics in the tri-state area.
Ms. Smith has reached out to Huntington High School club advisors and coaches and through them to students and their families, inviting these individuals to submit articles, photos and video clips that she will forward to MSG Varsity for consideration by the network.
"We will earn scholarships that will be awarded to members of the clubs that help with submitting things to MSG," Ms. Smith told the advisors and coaches. "We are looking for any Huntington High School community and club news. I am hoping to have a few key people from each club that I can rely on to document what your club is doing, I will supply digital and video cameras as well as a microphone, if your club wants to do an interview. I will also use any photos or video that parents may take at your event."
For more information contact Ms. Smith at asmith@hufsd.edu.
Blue Devil Football Honorees
Huntington High School football players Dan Plant and Trayvon Toney have earned All-Division and All-County honors. Jack Forster, Devon Nelson, Frank Caravetto, Shaheem Lewis, Tyler Greenhill and Thomas Mulligan were all named All-Division. Brandon Fiordelisi was recognized as a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete.
Plant, Toney, Forster, Fiordelisi and Jared Thorbourne captained the Blue Devils this past fall. Huntington dropped a 17-9 verdict to Islip in the Suffolk Division III playoffs.
Lead Slips Away
A 14-point lead slipped away from the Huntington girls' basketball team as the Blue Devils fell to visiting Half Hollow Hills East in overtime, 43-38.
Huntington trailed 5-1 after one quarter and was down 16-14 at halftime. Then the Blue Devils found their groove, outscoring the Thunderbirds in the third quarter, 14-0. The tied turned again in the final frame as HHHE rebounded, going on an 18-6 run to take a two point lead.
Huntington's Heather Forster hit two free throws at the end of regulation to force overtime, but the Thunderbirds went on to win by five points.
Forster led all Blue Devil scorers with 14 points. Mackenzie Maloney and Colleen Wright each scored six points. Joellen Ceide added five more.
Gayle Has Heart of Giant
Huntington High School freshman Jacob Gayle turned in a great season at running back and defensive back with the Blue Devil junior varsity football team. The teenager recorded 31 solo tackles, including six for a loss and intercepted five passes. Gayle gained 287 yards on 52 carries and scored two touchdowns.
"Jacob is your blue collar worker," said Ron Wilson, who coaches Huntington along with Todd Jamison. "He gives you everything he has. He's a great athlete that stepped up his game this year and was named captain after a player was moved to varsity. He's short in stature, but has the heart of a giant. He's going to hit you no matter what your size may be."
McNeil Ranked No. 5 in Country
Nigel McNeil has taken the college wrestling scene by storm. The Huntington High School grad and SUNY Cortland freshman is ranked fifth in the country in NCAA Division III at 125 lbs.
Last weekend at the Messiah College Petrofes Invitational in Grantham, Pennsylvania, McNeil cruised through all five of his matches en route to the 125 lb. title. The victories improved the former Blue Devil's record to 15-2 on the season.
Seeded No. 1 in the tournament, McNeil captured his first two matches with 16-0 and 15-0 technical falls, the grabbed a 12-3 major decision before pinning fourth seeded Abe Evans of Gettysburg in the semi-finals in 1:55 and pinning sixth seeded Mike O'Boyle of McDaniel College in the finals in 1:51.
Cortland, ranked eighth nationally, finished first in the 12-team tournament field, scoring 165.5 points to outdistance runner-up Wilkes College, which amassed 159.5 points.
McNeil's former Huntington teammate and fellow Cortland freshman Louis Puca finished second in the tournament at 174 lbs. Seeded third in his weight class, Puca won three preliminary matches, including a 9-0 decision of sixth seeded Craig Hogan of Messiah and a 4-0 victory over second seeded Michael Fish of Springfield in the semi-finals. Puca medically forfeited the final match.
Blue Devil Golf Struggles
The Huntington High School golf team struggled this past fall, finishing the season with a 2-10 record under head coach Michael Marinello.
The Blue Devils were led by Junior Max Fehrs, eighth grader James Smoot, freshman Justin Loturco and senior JP Vitiello. Marinello described Fehrs as a "solid ball striker" and said Smoot will continue to improve and eventually became the team's No. 1.
Puca Named Wrestler of Week
Louis Puca, a former Blue Devil wrestling great and member of Huntington High School's Class of 2011, was named Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Rookie of the Week.
Wrestling for SUNY Cortland, Puca won the 174 lb. crown at the Oneonta State Red Dragon Invitational. Seeded fourth, Puca picked up two pins and a 7-5 semi-final decision before pinning the second seed in 4:13 in the finals. The victory helped Cortland win the championship at the 11-team tournament.
The Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference consists of Brockport, Cortland, Ithaca, Lycoming, Messiah, Morrisville, Oneonta, Oswego and Rochester Institute of Technology.