Blue Devil JV Chows Down and Wins
First they ate a sumptuous breakfast and then they went out and won the season opener in dramatic fashion under threatening skies.
The Huntington High School junior varsity football team reported to the school early on opening day to chow down as a group before going out and playing a hard-hitting game against visiting Harborfields on the Blue Devil Stadium turf. Huntington nipped a tough Tornadoes squad, 14-13 before a surprisingly large crowd of about 250.
Huntington coach Jim Byrnes wanted to establish a pre-home game team breakfast for his players and a group of willing parents was only too happy to volunteer to help make the new initiative a success.
Plans call for JV team breakfasts before each of the four home games this season. Parents have volunteered to bring the food and make whatever preparations are necessary.
Tables were set-up in the downstairs hallway in the athletic complex beneath the Louis D. Giani Gymnasium. About 45 players and coaches were fed during the first Saturday morning breakfast, which kicked off at about 7 a.m. The menu included scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, bagels, assorted fruits, orange juice and Gatorade.
"The boys really seemed to enjoy it and it was great for them to gather together as a team for breakfast before their game," parent Julie LaBella said.