Ferraiolo Paces HHS at Suffolk Fencing Championships
James Ferraiolo was pure gold at the Suffolk boys' fencing championships. The Huntington High School senior captured the county epee crown and paced the Blue Devils to a strong finish in a field filled with talented athletes.
The Huntington boys' team sent three fencers to the Suffolk finals. Joining Ferraiolo were seniors Joseph Rizzzi and Brent Filippini. Individual finalists are determined by a fencer's respective record during the team competition segment of county championships.
Ferraiolo compiled a 7-0 mark in the team portion before vanquishing his opponents in the finals to earn Huntington's 16th individual men's county crown. It was Ferraiolo's first Suffolk title.
Rizzi was in his second foil final and improved on his sixth place finish as a junior with a fourth place effort this year. Filippini advanced to his first county final by one touch in the team round. Taking advantage of his good fortune he finished in fourth in saber.
The Blue Devils took fourth place in the team standings. Huntington was seeded fourth in the championships based upon its 8-6 season record. The team's starters in the county meet in saber included seniors Scott Garofalo and Brent Filippini and sophomore Kyle Meit. The foil line-up consisted of senior Joe Rizzi and sophomores Garrett Filippini and Eli Goldman. Seniors James Ferraiolo and Richard Hermer-Fried and junior James Montefusco comprised the epee squad.
Teams fence seven rounds of nine bouts each during the team segment of the county championships. Huntington opened by topping Newfield, 5-4 and followed with a 6-3 win over Centereach. Perennial state power Ward Melville proved a tough match, but the epee group all three of its bouts in a 6-3 Blue Devil loss.
Huntington bested Walt Whitman in the fourth round, 5-4 and then overcame Half Hollow Hills, 6-3. Brentwood saddled the Blue Devils with a 6-3 loss before Commack nipped Huntington, 5-4 in a fierce battle.
While Huntington's 32 points gave it fourth place, the Blue Devil epee squad was the class of the Suffolk championships with 16 points in all, more than any other epee team in the county.