Kocis Strikes Again in 38-14
Huntington Victory
Ben Kocis struck again last Saturday afternoon, completing 15-of-20 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Huntington High School football team past Kings Park, 38-14 before a crowd of about 700 at Blue Devil Stadium. The victory assured the Blue Devils of a home playoff game this coming weekend.
Kocis' arm was golden as the junior zipped passes to his talented corps of receivers to help Huntington build an insurmountable advantage. "Ben did a great job finding the open man and our receivers were equally fantastic in going up and getting the ball," head coach Steve Muller said.
Huntington (6-2) took the lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kocis to senior Josh Long. "It was a perfect play," Muller said. The Blue Devils made it 14-0 when junior Troy Greene scampered 17 yards for a touchdown. Junior Levar Butts extended the advantage to 21-0 when he broke through the line and raced 51 yards for Huntington's third touchdown of the first half.
The Blue Devils needed a victory to gain home field advantage. Ironically, Huntington and will face Kings Park (5-3) again on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a Suffolk Division III quarterfinal round game.
Leading 21-6 in the third quarter, Kocis found Long open again, this time for an 82-yard touchdown pass. Kocis later connected with senior Tyler Greenhill for a 71-yard TD. "When Ben is on he is hard to stop," Muller said. "His passes were on the mark and he had some nice play-action sequences, too. It was a great way to close-out the regular season."
Huntington used an effective ground attack to keep the Kingsmen off balance through much of the game, rushing 28 times for 159 yards. Greene ran for 70 yards on 16 carries. "Troy is giving us what we need," Muller said. "He has turned it up a few notches."
Placekicker Patrick Reilly turned in another fine performance, too, going five-for-five in extra points and booting a 27-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. "Pat has been exceptional for us," Muller said. "We are a much better team because of him."
Huntington finished the regular season in fourth place in the Suffolk Division III standings. Since Kings Park finished fifth, the two teams are pitted against one another in the opening game round of the post-season.
With "Frankenstorm" on the move, the Blue Devils are hoping to create some sense of normalcy as they plan for Saturday's game. "We just have to stay positive and focus on what we have to do to be successful on the field," assistant coach Ronald Wilson said. "Obviously, this storm is going to play a major role in our weekly preparation, but we have to do what we have to do to keep our players safe and out of harm's way until this thing passes."
Blue Devil Notes: Levar Butts made 16 tackles, including five for a loss . . . Butts assisted on two other tackles . . . Devon Nelson recorded eight tackles, including one for a loss and he assisted on another one . . . Nick Arleo caught a pass for 13 yards . . . Troy Greene and Ryan Iwanicki recovered fumbles . . . John Mallouk recorded a sack . . . James Byrnes intercepted a pass . . . Anthony Puca rushed twice for seven yards . . . Kocis picked up 11 yards on the ground on two carries . . . Devon Nelson rushed six times for 12 yards . . . With the Blue Devil marching band in Syracuse for the New York State Field Band Championships, the Huntington High School Highsteppers performed two slick dances at midfield during halftime . . . Johnnie Graham forced a fumble . . . Troy Greene made six tackles, including two for a loss . . . John Mallouk had five solo tackles, including one for a loss and an assist.