Rivera’s 24 Goals Leads Blue Devil JV
Freshman forward Carlos Rivera scored 24 goals and added six assists to lead the Huntington High School boys’ junior varsity soccer team to a record of 11-3-2.
Sophomore Dan Reiver turned in a great year on defense and freshman midfielder Oscar Aguilar had six goals and 12 assists. “The team was eager to play and win and practiced hard every day,” head coach Jose Alfaro said. “Different styles meshed brilliantly. Everyone is very excited for next year. Each year we get better.”
Rivera was constantly pressured and double-teamed all year, but was still a “force to be reckoned with,” Alfaro said. “He kept his cool and kept his scoring ways. He’s a star in the making.”
While Huntington was capable of scoring goals, the Blue Devil defense was essential to the team’s success. “Reiver was the teams’ backbone,” Alfaro said. “He stepped up when needed and kept his composure throughout the entire year.”
Aguilar was another key player, helping Huntington control the midfield area game-after-game. “He masterminded our attack and created many scoring chances for our team,” Alfaro said. “Oscar played the field smarter than anyone we came against.”
Freshman Jason Catarino performed his job well, producing 10 goals and two assists. The Blue Devils scored more than 50 goals during the season. “Players were dynamic at all levels,” Alfaro said. “Multi-positional, they gained an education, which was shown on the field.”
The team could not be counted out of any game, no matter what the score was. Even when trailing by two goals, Huntington was capable of pulling out a 4-2 victory and it did. The Blue Devils bench was deep and more than capable of stepping into a game and making an immediate difference.
Alfaro is confident that next fall’s JV team will be equally successful. “We hope to surpass this year’s number of wins and improve player quality throughout all levels,” the coach said.
Blue Devil Notes: Dan Reiver, Eric Catarino and Stephen Shivers were the JV team captains . . . The Huntington roster consisted of 25 talented players . . . The team finished with a league mark of 10-3-1 . . . The Blue Devils lost twice to Deer Park and once to Half Hollow Hills West.