Blue Devils Rally Late to Topple Amityville, 27-12
The Huntington High School football team rallied for 20 unanswered fourth quarter points to come from behind and topple visiting Amityville last Saturday on Homecoming Day at Blue Devil Field, 27-12.
Amityville (1-2) led early, 6-0 before the teams traded touchdowns. Trailing 12-7 in the final frame, Huntington staged a stunning comeback that electrified the crowd of 1,700. A series of pass completions, long runs and rugged defensive play overwhelmed the Warriors and sent fans home happy. “While we definitely struggled at times, everything finally clicked in the fourth quarter,” Blue Devil head coach Steve Muller said.
Huntington has won all three of its games this fall, but it has also endured stretches of uneven play in each of the contests. Amityville managed to keep the Blue Devils off balance for long stretches and penalties and turnovers proved costly, too.
Huntington (3-0) regained the lead at 13-12 when quarterback Ben Kocis hit wide receiver Christian Jamison with a fade pass in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown with 5:40 remaining in the game. A two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Blue Devils were on their way.
Less than four minutes later, Kocis found wide receiver Infinite Tucker open for a 51-yard strike. The play brought the ball down to Amityville’s four yard line. Kocis took it into the end zone on the next play and Justyn Tesoriero kicked the extra point to give Huntington a 20-12 lead with 1:40 left to play. But, the Blue Devils weren’t quite finished yet.
Tucker intercepted a pass on the Amityville 47-yard line to give Huntington one more chance to score. Kocis took the snap and handed-off to Levar Butts (nine carries for 84 yards) who raced 31-yards untouched into the end zone for the game’s final touchdown with about 45 seconds remaining.
“In the fourth quarter, I couldn’t stop thinking that they were going to score and then I would have to drive down to score,” Kocis said. “It was very nerve-racking and truly a horrible feeling. We’re all a family and in the fourth quarter we pulled it together and ended up making a couple big plays leading to our victory.”
Kocis was 21-for-28 passing for 277 yards and a touchdown. The senior also rushed for two touchdowns. Jamison caught nine passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Tucker had six receptions for 118 yards.
Huntington Troy Greene turned in another gutsy performance on both sides of the ball. The senior rushed seven times for 72 yards, threw some devastating blocks and had seven tackles, one assist, one for a loss, a sack and an interception.
Huntington rushed 21 times for 170 yards and three touchdowns. The Blue Devils notched 447 yards of total offense. “We are looking for consistency over all four quarters,” Muller said. “We’re getting there, but we’re not there yet.”
Huntington’s defense again showed its prowess. Butts led the unit with 12 tackles, including two for a loss and a pass deflection. Christian Gonzalez added six tackles and an assist. Jimmie Nelson had five tackles, including one for a loss and an assist. Jamison made six tackles, including one for a loss and assisted on another. Keegan Reilly had two pass deflections and three tackles.
Tucker’s sensational afternoon also included some heroic defensive play. The sophomore recorded nine tackles, two assists, a pass deflection and an interception. “Infinite is playing really well for us right now,” Muller said. “He’s been essential to our success.”
Huntington and Amityville have squared off 36 times since 1926 with the Blue Devils holding an 18-17-1 edge in the series. “It’s been a great rivalry through the years,” Muller said.
Huntington will host Sayville (2-1) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Blue Devil Notes: Tesoriero was three-for-three on extra points . . . Jamison had a spectacular quarterback sack . . .Davonte Evans caught two passes for six yards . . . Evans also had four tackles, including two for a loss and a pass deflection . . . Butts had two receptions for 12 yards . . . . Val Gutierrez had two tackles and Amaru Jones made three tackles . . . Tim Mattiace recorded three tackles and an assist . . . Mike Cimilluca made a tackle . . .The Blue Devil defense made 61 solo tackles, including seven for a loss, seven assists, two quarterback sacks, two interceptions and six pass deflections.