H-ton Topples Defending Suffolk Champ Hills East

The Huntington football team kicked off its 102nd season with an amazing, unbelievable performance as the Blue Devils toppled defending Suffolk champion Half Hollow Hills East on its home field this past Saturday, 28-14.

Beating the exquisitely talented Red Hawks is no small feat, but Huntington proved up to the task, urged on by their fans, who simply love their Blue Devils. Those fans, which included parents and alumni, a student cheering section and nearly the entire Huntington girls’ lacrosse team that won county and Long Island titles, cheered the victors as they walked off the field exhausted from the battle.

Huntington played well on both sides of the ball. Placekicker Robbie Campbell converted all four extra points and the Blue Devils overcame second half leg cramps that struck several key players.

Decked out in their new blue helmets and white jerseys, Huntington’s offensive and defensive units were both aggressive off the ball. “We loved how our players stayed focus,” head coach Ron Wilson said. The Blue Devils played as close to an error-free game as is probably possible on the high school level.

Hills East found the end zone first, but Huntington scored the next three times to go into halftime with a 21-7 lead. Yasir Jones scored on runs of three and eight yards and quarterback Jacob Guzik fired a scoring strike to Jack Kamenstein covering 44 yards for the third touchdown.

The Red Hawks weren’t finished just yet, pulling to within seven points in the third quarter with a 23 yard touchdown pass by quarterback Nick Sevilla to Donnie Jones. But Huntington once again responded when Jones scooted 17 yards for his third touchdown of the afternoon.

Ethan Lawless led Huntington’s defense with a staggering 13 tackles, including five for a loss and a pair of quarterback sacks. He constantly found his way in the Hills East backfield and chased Sevilla out of the pocket more than once.

Jones rushed 26 times for 124 yards. Guzik was also effective with his scrambles and passing game to keep the Red Hawks off balance.

Huntington’s hosts North Babylon on Saturday (September 20) at 1:30 p.m. The Blue Devils topped the Bulldogs last fall for the first time in 31 years.

“New week, new opponent, new challenges,” Wilson said. “We have to be ready. North Babylon is very well coached and has great players. It’s going to be another battle.”