Blue Devils Fall
as Last Second Rally Fails
The Huntington football team was looking to regain its balance last Saturday when it took the field at Hauppauge on a rainy night. What ensued was a defensive struggle that saw the two teams battle to a scoreless standoff through three quarters, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.
As the clock ticked down to less than 20 seconds, Huntington quarterback Infinite Tucker lofted a long spiral pass toward the end zone. Davonte Evans out jumped a crowd of players and came down with the ball on the four yard line for a 43 yard gain with 7.9 seconds remaining.
Devoid of timeouts and unable to stop the clock, the Blue Devils hurriedly snapped the ball out of a shotgun formation for the final play, but Tucker couldn’t handle the ball and was sacked by the Eagles, who held on for a wild 7-2 homecoming night victory on a slippery field.
Huntington turned the ball over an inordinate number of times and was also stung by costly penalties, two of which resulted in long gains being called back. “It’s hard to overcome so many turnovers,” Blue Devil head coach Steve Muller said. “The bottom line is that we are a young team that needs time to mature. We are going to keep at it. We certainly aren’t giving up. Our goal is to reach the playoffs.”
The Blue Devil defense performed well, keeping Hauppauge in check through most of the game. Huntington’s lineman and secondary did just enough to stop the Eagles from gaining much momentum. The Eagles finally broke the stalemate with about 10 minutes remaining in the final frame when quarterback Tom Balcom completed a pass to Anthony Andersen, who found his way down the home team’s sideline and then evaded several tacklers to reach the end zone for a 55 yard touchdown.
Trailing 7-0, Huntington wasn’t through just yet. The Blue Devils pinned Hauppauge near the goal line and then held the Eagles on three straight downs, forcing the home team to take a safety rather than try to punt inside the five yard line.
Hauppauge (2-0) elected to kickoff using a tee rather than punting the ball from its 20 yard line. Tucker took the kick and returned it 30 yards to the Eagles’ 19 yard line. After running two plays that lost yardage, Tucker lobbed a pass toward the end zone that was picked off with about two minutes remaining.
Everyone thought the game was over, but a series of timeouts and some sensational Blue Devil defensive plays forced Hauppauge to punt the ball, setting up the final exciting sequence that brought Huntington to within 12 feet of the end zone before time finally ran out.
The loss dropped Huntington to 0-2. Muller said he anticipates some lineup changes the next time the team takes the field. “We’re going to keep fighting,” the coach said.
The Blue Devils will play again on Saturday when the team hosts Miller Place on Homecoming Day. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Blue Devil Notes: Huntington running back Doug Taylor was dazzling on several carries, with exceptional second efforts . . . Several times Taylor carried multiple would-be tacklers several yards before he could be brought down . . . Coach Ron Wilson, who is taking a season off from Blue Devil football, was at the game and on the sideline with Director of Athletics Georgia Deren McCarthy.