Blue Devils Race at the Armory
The Armory in New York City is a place for elite high school track and field athletes to meet and compete. A meet there isn't merely fun and games. It's a serious experience for participants and their cheering fans.
Ron Wilson, the head coach of Huntington High School boys' track and field program, wants the Blue Devils to be the best, so he brings his squad to the Armory for a stiff challenge. Wilson doesn't believe in ever taking the easy way out.
The Blue Devils traveled to the famed arena last weekend for the Bishop Loughlin Games, one of the largest meets on the East Coast, with 225 schools participating from Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and New York.
In the frosh sprint medley relay, Huntington's Tyler Wolfe ran the 800m leg, finishing in 2:10 before handing the baton off to Giancarlo Puello who had a clear 20 meter lead over the rest of the field. He finished his 200m segment in 26 seconds, handing the baton off to Josh Watkins, who ran his 200m leg in 27 seconds while still maintaining a clear lead over the rest of the field. Blue Devil anchor Marc-Henry Sanon, finished the 400m run in 1:04 seconds, but unfortunately was run down in the final lap by four other teams.
"We finished the race in 4:07, placing fifth out of over 50 teams that participated in the event," Wilson said proudly. Huntington was awarded a bronze medal for a fine showing.
Senior Richie Fernandez continues to improve every time he steps into the shot put circle. He threw 47' in the Bishop Loughlin Games to advance to the finals in a field of 120 entries. In the championship round, Fernandez threw 47'8 to place seventh. It was his best throw ever.
"Fernandez is fairly new to the sport, but is making a name for himself in the circle," Wilson said. Also in the shot put, senior Dante Allen, junior Trayvon Toney and freshman Shaheem Lewis all threw in the 40's as well placing in the top 30 of the competition. Eighth grader, Matteo McNeil was happy with his performance, throwing 36' for a personal best.
In the 1000m run, junior Ryan Ackerman continued to show progress. He cut his personal best time of 2:55 to 2:44, a huge drop. The finish gave him 23rd place in a field of 162 runners.
In the 1-mile run, freshman Tyler Wolfe crossed the line 4:47 and junior Sharif Jarvis finished in 5:07. Wolfe finished in the top 50 and Jarvis in the top 100 out of 220 runners.
Junior Frankie Caravetto is new to the sport, but not to running. He raced through the 300m dash in 39.08 seconds, a personal best. The result put him in the top 100 out of 300 entries. Senior Matt Poellnitz also finished in the top 100 in a time of 39.87.
In the 55m high hurdles, sophomore Tyriek Johnson continues to improve. He placed fifth in a field of 100 hurdlers in a time of 7.7 seconds, a mere four-tenths of a second short of the 28 year old Huntington High School record.
Junior Dan McQuade made a splendid winter track debut, finishing the 55m high hurdles in 8.8 seconds, which put him in the top 50 finishers overall. Freshmen Matt Whitcher finished the race in 10.7.
In other notable performances, juniors Conor Reilly and Danny Plant ran the 55m dash in 7.3 and 7.4 seconds, respectively. Junior John Ceide ran a personal best 1:42 in the 600m dash.
Next up for the Blue Devils will be the St. Anthony's Christmas Classic and the Grinch Games at Fordham University. Both meets will give Wilson the same type of tough competition he craves for his team.