Blue Devils Face Pressure at
State Qualifier
Did the pressure of the state qualifying meet “get” to some of Huntington High School’s young track stars? Ron Wilson thinks it might have. Still, the Blue Devils’ boys’ coach is mighty pleased with how his underclassmen performed this spring.
In the recent qualifying meet, sophomore sensation Tyriek Johnson captured first place in his 110m high hurdles preliminary heat with a time of 14.85 seconds, the second fastest of any runner in the event. “He was very happy to have made the finals, but knew he had to do a better job the next day at the finals,” Wilson said about Johnson.
It was a different story on Saturday when competitors were greeting by hot and humid weather at Port Jefferson High School where the meet was held. “I felt that Johnson was well prepared for the race,” Wilson said. “He had practiced hard during the week and looked pretty good going over the hurdles in practice. The gun sounded and the race was underway. Johnson broke from the starting line pretty clean. He even managed not to hit the first hurdle, which he occasionally does.”
Then Wilson noticed about halfway through the 15-second race that Johnson was starting to press. Runners from Amityville and Bayport were well in front of the Huntington dynamo. “His mechanics began to fail and slowed his momentum the last half of the race causing him to finish fourth with no bid at the state championship,” Wilson said.
Johnson was edged for third place by the same runner he had defeated a week earlier to win the Suffolk Division II crown. “He took the loss with a smile and knows now that there is much work needed by him if he’s to compete at the state and national level.”
Yet, finishing the season with the third best time in Suffolk and the sixth fastest in the entire state is something that Johnson can take pride in.
Sophomore Trayvon Toney, who was seeded No. 8 in the discus, routinely launched it more than 140 feet during practice throws, but in the state qualifying competition he fouled on all three opportunities. “His first foul came by way of stepping outside of the circle,” Wilson said. “He knew it was a good throw so he wanted to see it. The only problem was that when he turned to look around, his foot was outside of the circle. The next two throws, he threw outside the sector lines. Toney is young and also realizes what he needs to do to go to the next level of competition.”
There’s a feeling around Suffolk that Johnson and Toney are each poised for superb junior and senior seasons. “It’s been a great year coaching these two young men,” Wilson said. “They both have no reason to hang their heads low. They performed well all season long and for that I am grateful. We will work in the off season and get better!”
Two other Blue Devil track stars can also hold their heads high after solid efforts in the state qualifying meet. Sophomore Ryan Ackerman ran a personal best in the 800m, placing 13th in a time of 2:01. Senior Stevenson Gabriel finished 16th in the 400m run in 53.1 seconds.
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