Kocis Has Career Day as
Blue Devils Roll
Ben Kocis completed 13-of-16 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns as the Huntington High School football team steamed past Deer Park under threatening skies last Saturday afternoon, 41-3.
Kocis completed his first pass on the Blue Devils' opening play and never looked back, turning in an amazing performance that featured tight spirals with plenty of zip. "Ben had a great day," head coach Steve Muller said. "Our receivers were in perfect sync with him. The results were pretty impressive."
Huntington took the lead when Kocis hit Tyler Greenhill with a 52-yard touchdown pass. The Blue Devils made it 13-0 a few minutes later when Kocis and Josh Long collaborated on a 60-yard touchdown pass and Patrick Reilly followed by booting the extra point through the uprights.
After a one point homecoming day loss to Amityville last Saturday in a game that saw the Blue Devils squander a 19-6 fourth quarter lead, Huntington was in no mood to meet a similar fate against the Falcons. "Our defense really played well and worked as a unit," Muller said. "We didn't let up."
Kocis continued to complete passes in the second quarter, connecting with junior Troy Greene for a 10-yard TD and on a 45-yard scoring strike with the 5'7 Long. Sandwiched between the touchdowns, the Falcons notched a 21-yard field goal. Huntington was in firm command at the halfway mark, 27-3.
The game played out before a packed house at Deer Park, which was celebrating its homecoming day, complete with class floats parked adjacent to the field and halftime performances by its marching band and dance team. About 100 enthusiastic Huntington fans made the trek south down Deer Park Avenue to support Big Blue.
The Blue Devils effectively put the game on ice in the third quarter when Greenhill recovered a fumble and scampered 12-yards for Huntington's fifth touchdown of the day.
Junior Levar Butts capped off the scoring frenzy by sprinting 85 yards for the team's final touchdown of the day. Reilly kicked both extra points as Huntington cruised to a 38-point victory, its fourth in five games in Suffolk Division III play this fall. The loss dropped Deer Park to 1-4.
Huntington will host Comsewogue on Saturday at 2 p.m. Admission is free.
Blue Devil Notes: Troy Greene caught three passes for 58 yards . . . Greenhill's three receptions covered 72 yards . . . Levar Butts recorded a career-best 18 tackles, including four for a loss and three assists . . . Kocis threw 16 passes in the game without being intercepted . . . Josh Long had three catches for 112 yards along with four solo tackles, including one that resulted in a loss . . . Huntington rushed for more than 170 yards . . . Anthony Puca ran for 40 yards on eight carries . . . Christian Jamison recovered a fumble and caught three passes for 42 yards . . . Lineman Shaheem Lewis had one quarterback sack . . . Patrick Reilly kicked five-of-six extra points . . . James Byrnes had one reception for a nine-yard gain.