Toney is No. 1 in New York State
Huntington senior Trayvon Toney enjoyed an eye-popping performance last weekend, throwing the discus 170 feet at the Coach's Invitational at Commack High School and giving him the top ranking in the state in the event and places him among the best in the country this spring.
Toney launched what proved to be the longest throw of the day during a preliminary round. "When he returned from retrieving his disc, he said to me, 'I can't believe it was that far. I didn't even get it in the air,'" recalled Blue Devil head coach Ron Wilson. The line drive effort stunned the rest of the field.
Toney's athleticism was admired by opposing coaches, at least one of whom told Wilson that he thought the Huntington senior was capable of notching a 180' throw. The teenager wasn't the only Blue Devil medalist in the event as teammate Shaheem Lewis finished third with a throw of 152'7, the tenth best in the state this year.
Junior John Cimetta, a Huntington track and field newcomer also enjoyed a good day, tossing the discus 116', his best throw ever. "He's a hardworking kid that is getting better day by day," Wilson said.
In other action, Blue Devil senior Ryan Ackerman ran a personal best of 2:02 in the 800m Freshman Scott Gulizio continues to prove that he will eventually be counted among the elite in the event, by winning the frosh/soph 800m in a time of 2:04, just ahead of teammate Alex Alvarenga, who crossed the line in 2:11. Alvarenga went on to run a personal best time of 10:25 in the 3200m run.
In the 400m dash, senior John Ceide improved his best time in the event to 53.46 seconds and junior Tom Boisclair also set a new personal mark of 54.6 seconds. In the frosh/soph 400m race, sophomore Markhenry Sanon ran a personal best of 55 seconds while freshmen Gerald Riley won his heat with a personal best of 55 seconds. Riley also earned a second place finish in the long jump with a leap of 18'11.
In the 400m intermediate hurdles, sophomore Joshua Watkins improved his best time to 1:01, earning a third place medal. Watkins also placed sixth in the high jump with a leap of 5'4. Y'Majesty Allen appeared to be on his way to a first place finish in the frosh/soph 100m dash, but pulled up in the end due to a strain. He still earned a sixth place medal. "I'm just glad he didn't try to press and continue because that's when injuries become huge problems," Wilson said.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils will compete in the Bob Pratt Invitational at Smithtown West High School. "It's during this time of the season that we look to sharpen our skills and get better, so we can compete well in divisional, county and state competitions," Wilson said.