Huntington Battles County Powers
at Carnival
Huntington High School's 15th annual fencing relay carnival saw the Blue Devils battle eight opponents, including Suffolk powers Ward Melville and Brentwood.
The competition drew 350 athletes to Louis D. Giani Gymnasium. In a stunning surprise, the Huntington girls' team finished in first place for the first time since 2001. The Huntington boys' team took third place behind Ward Melville and Brentwood.
Ward Melville, the nine-time Long Island champion, was heavily favored to win the girls' competition. But, while the Patriots won the women's foil and saber events, their women's epee squad suffered several early defeats that resulted in a seventh place finish. This opened the door for the Blue Devils to capture the team title.
In the boys' events, Ward Melville's team dominated, taking first in men's saber, second in foil and third in epee. All in all, Huntington head coach Alan Kuver found much to like in the Blue Devils' performances.
Men's Foil
The "A" squad of seniors Sean Harkins, Brian Castillo and sophomore Joe Rizzi experienced a devastating 44-41 first round to Newfield. The Blue Devils won their next two matches and finished ninth. The "B" squad of juniors Jason Chisolm, Jackson Cohen and sophomore Max Zelinka suffered two early defeats, but won its last match to finish 11th. The novice squad of freshmen Sam Yanuck, Nick Frieman and eighth grader Garrett Filippini finished fourth.
Women's Foil
The "A" squad of juniors Alex Martinolich, Marie Clifford, sophomore Maggie Askerberg and freshmen Sibilla Maiarelli won their first match against Walt Whitman to reach the semi-finals. After a loss to eventual champion Ward Melville, the squad team lost a heart breaker to Brentwood to finish fourth. The "B" squad also won its first match over Commack, 44-43 advance to the top eight. Three more matches against varsity squads resulted in hard fought defeats as the team placed eighth in the standings. The novice girls' foil squad of freshmen Julie Gray, sophomore Melissa Rosenberg and eighth grader Ruhi Shah finished in third place.
Men's Saber
The "A" squad of seniors Dante Corrocher, Connor Purcell and sophomore Brent Filippini started its day with a victory over the Ward Melville "B" squad, 45-13. The next bout against second seeded Commack was a tightly contested match that saw the Blue Devils overcome a 30-23 deficit in the last three rounds. In Filippini's last encounter he scored eight touches to five and Purcell followed with a 7-5 round to narrow Huntingon's disadvantage to 40-38. Corrocher finished the job with a 7-4 performance to seal the victory 45-44. They trio lost in the semi-finals to eventual champion Ward Melville, but
The "B" squad of sophomores Scott Garafolo, Brendan Jenne and freshman Brain McConnell lost its first two matches, but finished strong with a win to place 11th in the standings. The novice squad of freshmen Brian McConnell, Brandon May and Darius Nash fenced a series hard fought matches to finish fourth.
Women's Saber
The "A" squad of senior Dylan Tuozzo, sophomores Katia DeSimone and Joey Tuozzo and seventh grader Irina DeSimone started the day with a victory over the Huntington "C" squad. The "A" team won its next match against Walt Whitman, 45-40 to reach the semi-finals. Successive losses to the Ward Melville squads saw dropped Huntington into fourth place.
The Blue Devils' "B" squad of sophomores Andrea Cerini, Melanie Grossman and Kelly Askerberg suffered early defeats before wining its last match to place 11th. The "C" squad of sophomore Rachel Feltman and freshmen Tara Purcell and Nina Flores took 12th. The novice squad of Tara Purcell, Rachel Feltman and Irina DeSimone lost a close match to Newfield, 45-43 and then won its last match against Walt Whitman to finish third.
Men's Epee
The "A" squad of senior John Ferrraiolo and sophomores Jimmy Ferraiolo and Ricki Hermer-Fried started the competition seeded fifth. The team's first round 45-26 victory over the Brentwood "B" squad was followed by a quarterfinal round win over Walt Whitman, 45-39. It was the group's closest match of the day. A 45-31 semi-final win over Newfield advanced the Blue Devils to the gold medal match against rugged Brentwood. Once again, Huntington emerged with a victory, this time by a 45-36 score. Overall, Ferraiolo outscored his opponents 62-32 and Hermer-Fried held a lopsided 63-41 advantage.
The "B" squad of freshmen Ben Nikodem, James Montefusco and eighth grader Lucas Vaccaro engaged in three hard fought contests and finished in12th place.
Women's Epee
Seniors Olivia Weller and Mia Reinzo, veterans from last year's championship epee squad, teamed up fellow senior Rebecca Deegan to defend their title. Seeded first, they won their quarterfinal match against Commack, 45-28 and then topped Walt Whitman in the semi-finals, 45-30. In the finals against Half Hollow Hills, Weller jumped out to her usual fast start, but was behind 5-4 at the finish. "This was the first time the squad trailed all day," said Alan Kuver, Huntington's head coach.
Deegan followed against Julie Park, the anchor for Hills. "Fencing with a skill and determination that belies the fact that this is only her second year in the sport, she outscored the Hills anchor 6-0 to right the ship," Kuver said. Rienzo followed with a 5-2 round to bring the score to 15-7 after the first three rounds. It was a lead that Huntington would maintain. Weller finished up with two rounds of 6-0 and 5-2 to close out a 45-35 victory.
"Olivia out scored her opponents by 22, Mia by 11 and Rebecca 9 over the course of their three matches," Kuver said.
The "B" squad of sophomores Katelyn Postiglione, Anna Wertheim and Carly Glowacky lost their first match against seventh seeded Newfield, 45-44. They followed with another close loss to the Ward Melville "B" squad, putting them in 11th place. The novice squad of freshmen Elizabeth Eichenberger, Devin Dattolico and Haley Miller won its first match against Brentwood, 45-32 to make the final. The Blue Devils dropped a close verdict to Ward Melville in the finals to finish second.