Matteo McNeil Named Blue Devils
Top Lineman
Matteo McNeil’s is the consummate team player. It’s team first, all the time for the teenager, who was named the Huntington football program’s top lineman at the Blue Devils’ annual dinner last month in the high school cafeteria.
McNeil came to the district as a seventh grader and he’s been a favorite of coaches ever since. His father enjoyed a storied 12 year career in the NFL, starring as a New York Jets running back, but the Blue Devil senior is one of the most down-to-Earth teenagers around.
“Matteo was hoping to be one of our running backs last fall and he would have been a great one, but we needed him on the line,” said Steve Muller, the Huntington football team’s head coach. “He never complained. He just went out there and did his job and he did it very well.”
Named to the All-Division second team, the 5’10, 230 lb. lineman was frequently undersized for his position, but he made up for it with pure grit and determination. “Matteo is the kind of player that gives you everything he has,” Muller said. “There is no quit in him. He’s an exceptional competitor and a great teammate.”
McNeil was a wonderful two-way lineman for the Blue Devils and played a role in all of the team’s victories over the past three seasons. “We all love Matteo and we are definitely going to miss him,” Muller said.
Blue Devil Track & Field Star
Besides being a splendid football player, McNeil has been a mainstay in the Blue Devils track and field program since the eighth grade. He’s one of the best throwers in Suffolk and the teenager is currently in the midst of what he hopes will be his best season ever.
“My first encounter with Matteo was with [Finley Middle School guidance counselor and track coach] Phil Lowe,” Huntington coach Ron Wilson said. “Coach Lowe introduced me to Matteo when Finley would come to the high school to practice every Friday. Always looking older than he was, he stood in awe as our high school athletes were throwing the shot put. I remember like it was yesterday. He said he wanted to throw that far, too. I told him soon enough. He was in seventh grade at the time and was throwing the farthest on his middle school team.”
McNeil qualified to participate on the high school winter and spring track and field teams as an eighth grader and enjoyed almost immediate success.
As an eighth grader, McNeil won the county freshman shot put championship with a toss of 36’7.5. “He was smiling from ear to ear,” recalls Wilson. “He was so excited that day. That sparked a huge interest in the sport and Matteo stayed on for the spring season, but he didn’t win the spring freshman crowned freshman champion in the spring. His good friend from Longwood, Dennis Russell won with a throw of 40-feet to McNeil’s 38-feet, which was a personal best.
“McNeil was one to never let defeat do him in,” Wilson said about the second place finish. “He used it to get better.”
The following year as a sophomore, McNeil battled some of the top throwers in his class, including long-time teammate, Jimmie Nelson. At the end of the winter season, McNeil reclaimed his title as sophomore champion in the indoor shot put with a toss of 44’5. On his last toss of the spring season he beat out current Suffolk champion O’Brian Josselyn with a throw that measured 48’8.5.
Attempted to Convert Throwing Style
After earning All-League and All-Division honors during the winter and spring season with throws that regularly fell into the range of 46-48 feet, McNeil attempted to convert his style from a traditional glide throw to a rotation technique, which was becoming popular.
After an unsuccessful junior year using the rotation technique, McNeil returned to the spin this past winter and captured the Suffolk Small Schools county championship with a throw that measured 49’4.5. While the teenager didn’t qualify for the state finals, he did garner All-County honors.
McNeil’s best shot put throw is 49’9.5, which was good enough to give him fourth place at indoor season state qualifier. “His goal this spring season is to not only break 50-feet, but to compete at the state championship,” Wilson said. “He’s working hard every day to do just that.”
The senior plans to travel extensively for at least six months before beginning college.
“I’m very proud of this young man and all he’s given to our athletic program,” Wilson said. “I’ve had the greatest pleasure in coaching McNeil in both football and track and field. He is a hard worker and a great young man who is the ultimate ‘sportsmanship man.’ Whether in victory or defeat, Matteo always acknowledges his competitors. He is well liked and respected by athletes, coaches, officials, and parents. He never lets his feelings get in the way of being humble. He is a young man I’ve come to respect and love. He’s always polite wanting to help in any way he can. One thing for sure, he has left his stamp not only in Huntington, but in Suffolk track and field. That broad smile he has is one of a kind and he wears it no matter what the mood may be. He will be missed when he graduates.”