Blue Devil Sports News
Huntington senior Kyle Mock defeated the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds and a defending state medalist en route to the 132 lb. Section XI wrestling championship at Hofstra. The teenager’s fellow county titlists voted him the Champion of Champions Award recipient for 2016.
Mock topped Hills East junior Phil Spadafora in the opening round of the tournament, 7-6. Spadafora finished fifth in last year’s state tournament. The Huntington grappler went on to pin Islip’s Tom Picciano in 1:13 in the quarterfinals before upsetting first seeded Evan Corso of Longwood in the semi-finals, 14-6.
Mock toppled third seeded Jack Gold of Rocky Point in the finals, 6-2. The Blue Devil mat star is now 39-1 this season as is headed to the New York State intersectional championships at the Times Union Center in Albany on February 26-27. His father, Kieran won the 1982 Section XI and state titles and is currently and assistant coach for the Blue Devils.
Harris Preps for Baseball
Billy Harris is gearing up for his first season as the Huntington High School varsity baseball head coach. He previously served as the J. Taylor Finley Middle School coach. He will be attempting to turn around a program that hasn’t won the league championship since 1965.
Players have participated in pre-season workouts and Harris is hopeful the Blue Devils will be competitive this spring. Huntington compiled a 2-17 record in 2015.
H-ton Alum Notches Assist in First College Game
Huntington alum Alyssa Amorison notched an assist in her first college lacrosse game for Ohio State University on Saturday.
The former Blue Devil great helped the No. 18 ranked Buckeyes defeat the University of Detroit, 22-8 in the season opener. Amorison, a member of Huntington’s Class of 2015, plays attack and wears No. 44 for Ohio State.
A five year varsity letter winner for the Blue Devils, Amorison was a two-time team captain and three-time Suffolk All-Division player. She played in last summer’s Under Armour All-America Senior Showcase.
Amorison tallied 18 goals and 31 assists for Huntington as a senior; 30 goals and 16 assists as a junior; 14 goals and 32 assists as a sophomore;17 goals and 17 assists as a freshman; and 11 goals and six assists as an eighth grader on the Blue Devil varsity.
H-ton Alum Lou Puca Named College Wrestler of Week
Huntington alum and SUNY Cortland senior Lou Puca has been named the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) Wrestler of the Week. The former Blue Devil mat great has been honored three times this season by the conference; he was the ECWC Co-Wrestler of the Week in early December and Wrestler of the Week in mid-January.
The Huntington Class of 2011 member is ranked fourth nationally in NCAA Division III. Puca defeated ninth-ranked Troy Seymour of Oswego, 2-0, during the nationally sixth-ranked Red Dragons’ 42-0 dual win over the Lakers. Puca improved his record to 26-2 on the season and 113-28 for his career.
The communications major has twice earned All-American honors on the mat and Academic All-American recognition in the classroom during his years at Cortland.
While competing for Huntington, Puca placed second in the county and state tournaments as a junior. He was upset in the Section XI semi-finals as a senior, finishing third in Suffolk. The mat star went 37-5 as a junior and 34-1 as a senior, compiling an overall career mark of 143-34.
Heuwetter & Baade Combine for 42 Points
The Huntington girls’ basketball repeatedly rallied from what appeared to be near certain defeat to overtake visiting Half Hollow Hills West in double overtime in a Suffolk Class AA playoff game, 74-67.
Huntington was coasting along with a 14 point lead when Hills West started to methodically chip away at the advantage as the Blue Devil offense went ice cold. Repeated turnovers and missed shots put the home team on the ropes as the clock ticked down.
With the crowd on the edge of its seats, Hills West staked out a late game lead before Huntington managed to tie it before time expired. The Colts again seized the advantage in the first overtime, but Brooke Baade hit a three-pointer with about five seconds remaining to save the day and send the contest into another four minute extra frame. The Blue Devils took it from there, going on a 9-2 run. Katie Reilly hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Baade had 19 points and Alexandra Heuwetter added a game high 23 points, nine rebounds and seven free throws made. Reilly had six points, nine assists and nine steals. Katie Seccafico enjoyed her best game of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Anna Gulizio scored nine points, including five free throws, many with the game on the line. The junior added five rebounds. Emma Petrizzi had six points.
Alum Named Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Huntington High School Class of 2015 member Scott Gulizio was named the Patriot League’s Male Rookie of the Week after his performance at the Bucknell Tune-Up. The teenager has turned in a string of strong performances for the Bucknell University indoor track and field team this winter. He is a freshman at the college.
In the final meet before the Patriot League Indoor Championships, Gulizio took the top spot in the 800-meter run, completing the event with a time of 1:55.23. His time surpasses the IC4A (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) standard of 1:56.
Gulizio went on to place fourth in the 800m run at last weekend’s Patriot League Indoor Championships in a time of 1:51.54, which ranks fourth all-time in Bucknell’s program history. The Huntington alum finished just 7/100ths out of third place and only 22/100ths out of second place.
During his time at Huntington High School, Gulizio starred on the soccer, basketball and spring track and field team, helping to lead each squad to championships. Academically, he was one of the top students in the Class of 2015.
Boys’ Track Plans to Travel
Huntington School Board members have given their approval for the Blue Devil boys’ varsity spring track and field team to travel to several out of town competitions.
Coaches Ron Wilson and Eli Acosta are planning to take their top athletes to the Taco Bell Classic in Columbia South Carolina on April 7-11, the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on April 28-30 and the New Balance Track & Field National Championships at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro on June 16-19.
Huntington athletes expect to contend for national honors in several events.