Blue Devils Boys' are League IV Runners-up
On one level it must be frustrating, but on another it's a remarkable testament to consistency as the Huntington High School boys' winter track and field team finished second to Kings Park in the League IV Championships for the fifth straight year at Suffolk West in Brentwood.
Huntington junior Shaheem Lewis and seniors Danny McQuade and Mike Garing sparkled in posting personal records, but it was Blue Devil senior Ryan Ackerman who shined the brightest.
"We had originally put Ackerman in the 1000m run and the 1600m run," recounted Ron Wilson, Huntington's head coach. "We figured he would be able to score points in both events. However, after studying the competition, we decided to enter him in the 600m where he could score even more and might win and that's exactly what he did. He ran a great race."
On the last lap, Ackerman made his move, gaining the lead and never looking back. He held on for the upset, out-kicking runners from Miller Place, Rocky Point, Islip and Kings Park. The teenager's time of 1:28.47 was his best ever and was less than one second off the Blue Devil record set more than a decade ago by Shawn Anderson, who is now a coach in the Huntington track program.
Retired special education teacher and head coach Dennis Walker, who led the Blue Devil track program for several decades, is happy that two of his former athletes in Wilson and Anderson are picking up where he left off. "He produced some great athletes in Huntington," Wilson said about his former coach.
Ackerman Anchors Upset
Ackerman would later come back in the 4 x 400m relay and anchor what was the biggest upset of the evening. Huntington's lead leg John Ceide was replaced due to some ailments he was feeling after placing sixth in the 600m in 1:32.95. Garing who had placed fourth in the 1000m run with new personal record of 2:44, was to run the 4 x 800m relay, but was quick to take the challenge of stepping in for Ceide.
The relay consisted of lead leg sophomore Joshua Watkins, Garing, junior Thomas Boisclair and Ackerman at anchor. "The race was exciting," Wilson said. "When the baton was handed to Boisclair, we were trailing in a tight fourth place. Boisclair ran a great leg passing the baton off to Ackerman in second place. Ackerman sat behind the Kings Park runner who was in first place and then with less than 150m left in the race, made his famous move and passed the Kingsmen on the back stretch to place first in 3:44. The crowd, as usual, was going wild in the final seconds of the race as each runner was trying their best to win."
In other action for the Blue Devils, senior Tyriek Johnson placed first in the hurdles in 7.54, winning the league crown for the third consecutive year and finished first in the long jump with leap of 21'9.
Lewis Notches Personal Best
Shaheem Lewis threw a personal best of 48'8.25 in the shot put to place second behind Kings Park. Senior Trayvon Toney missed the finals in the 55m dash, but placed third in the shot put with a throw of 46'10.5.
Freshmen Matteo McNeil continues to improve and show promise by being the only ninth grader in the county to throw the shot put as far as 39'1.25. He placed fifth in the League IV Championships.
Wilson was quite pleased with his team's performance. "I thought the boys did great," he said.
"What's funny is that the results of shot put were identical to last year's results," Wilson said. "Huntington and Kings Park in the finals with the Kingsmen taking first, fourth, and sixth and us taking second, third and fifth and outscoring them 16 to 15."
Senior Dan McQuade also enjoyed a fine performance, placing fourth in the high jump with a leap of 5'8 and fifth in the hurdles in 8.84 seconds.
Night of Improvements
"It was a great night of improvements," Wilson said about the team's performance in the League IV Championships. Kings Park led the 10-team field with 99 points, followed by Huntington (67), Harborfields (63), Eastport-South Manor (55), Miller Place (52), Sayville (48), Islip (25), Westhampton Beach (14), Rocky Point (8) and Comsewogue (3).
Former assistant coach Eli Acosta, who worked with the team for three seasons, unexpectedly showed up to the delight of the Blue Devil squad. "Coach Acosta rolled in on his scooter due to a surgical procedure he had back in December," Wilson said. "He was happy to see that the athletes are doing so well and we talked about coming in second for the fifth year in a row."