Blue Devils Stay Strong
It wasn't a championship season, but it still was a very good one. The Huntington High School boys' track and field team finished third in the league and fourth in Suffolk Division II. Three athletes earned All-State honors and two returned from the state finals with fifth place medals.
Coached by Ron Wilson and Eli Acosta, Huntington was definitely not a pushover for anyone. The year started with a roster of 45 but after some athletes found the sport wasn't for them, the team's ranks were thinned to 37. The Blue Devils were captained by Trayvon Toney, Ryan Ackerman, Dante Allen and Eric Szilagy
"The boy's track team continues to show a lot of promise," Wilson said. "We had many underclassmen along with some experienced juniors and seniors that actually did very well this season. It showed with the number of individuals that won All-League honors. However, injuries at the start of our season prevented us from going undefeated and winning the League V title."
Huntington rebounded late in the season and won the Suffolk County small school relay championship and also placed fourth out of 18 schools in Division II county meet.
Individual post-season honorees included:
All League: Tyriek Johnson, Dante Allen, Ryan Ackerman,Eric Szilagy, Trayvon Toney, Shaheem Lewis, Richie Fernandez, Y'Majesty Allen, John Ceide, Marquis Francis, Dan McQuade, Davon Nelson, Matt Poellnitz, Giancarlo Puello, Joshua Watkins.
All Division: Tyriek Johnson, Trayvon Toney, Dante Allen, Shaheem Lewis, Richie Fernandez, Eric Szilagy
All County: Tyriek Johnson, Dante Allen, Trayvon Toney
All State: Tyriek Johnson, Dante Allen, Trayvon Toney
The Ed Nook Award (Best Thrower in County Award): Trayvon Toney
Improvements Sought
Wilson is also seeking what he calls "improvements" to keep the program on the right path. "We need some sort of running club at the intermediate school so we can get more athletes interested in track and field," he said. "Last year we needed high jumping mats and I'm glad to report that that need is no longer needed. The Booster Club gave us the necessary resources to purchase both mats and hurdles."
Goals Set
The coach has several goals for the program. "Our goal is to continue to teach the fundamental of track and field to high school athletes," Wilson said. "I also want to work more with our junior high coaches and their athletes, inviting them to the high school to practice with us for a day."
Wilson is committed to getting more students interested in track and field. "It's a sport for everyone," he said.