The Huntington boys’ track and field team needed its relays to come through in the clutch and they did as the Blue Devils nipped host Half Hollow Hills East in a thriller, 73-68
Both teams knew the outcome of the meet would come down to the final races and it did just that. Huntington found itself in a tough spot as it needed to win two of the final three events.
Huntington boys' track and field head coach Ronald Wilson.
Blue Devil head coach Ron Wilson was tense as the final events unfolded on an April afternoon. A third place finish in triple jump by junior Jonathan Smith tied the meet at 63-all. Wilson had hoped the teenager could finish at least second, which would have given Huntington some breathing room and required it to win only one of the final three events, but Smith’s leap of 37-feet came up just short of second place.
“Hills East boasts some tough distance runners and had already placed first and second in the 3200m run and the 800m run,” Wilson said. “Our freshmen distance runners, Aidan Heller and Isaiah James gave their best efforts in both races, but came up short.” Heller (3200m) and James (800m) both captured third place in their respective race.
Hills East also won the 1600m run, although Huntington sophomore Justin Steven pulled off an upset by finishing second, edging out one of the Thunderbirds’ top athletes.
“We knew they would most likely win the 4x800m relay,” Wilson said. “So we took Stevens out of the 4x800m relay and placed him in the 4x400m relay with freshman great, Anthony Joseph and senior twins, Arkim and Brian Pierre. We took Smith and freshman Jason Turner out of the 4x400m relay and placed them in the 4x100m relay with eighth grade sensation Josiah Melendez and freshman Nasir Youngblood. This move increased our chances at winning both relays.”
The Blue Devils went on to win the 4x400m to knot the score at 68-68 and set-up the meet’s dramatic conclusion with the 4x100m relay.
Youngblood ran the first leg of the relay, squaring off against a Hills East runner who had already beaten him in the 100m dash earlier in the meet. “We told the youngins, as they are affectionately known, to just keep it close and Smith will drive it home,” Wilson said.
Youngblood got off to a great start and was in stride with the 6’3 runner from Hills East. “He had a perfect exchange to Melendez who ran an incredible second leg,” Wilson said. Hills East saw itself a bit behind and dropped the baton. Melendez had an awesome exchange to Turner who had a great exchange to Smith.”
The Blue Devils were clocked at 44.4 seconds, “which is a phenomenal time this early in the season, especially since the team is mostly made up of underclassmen,” Wilson said. “Pure jubilation!”
The meet was a remarkably close call for Huntington, but the team consists of only a handful of seniors in the running events. “As long as I can remember, two events that Huntington has always won in dual meets are the long jump and the shot put,” Wilson said. “We came up short for the first time in history.”
In shot put, senior Clay Jamison fouled out and senior Levi Leach’s best throw of 40-07 feet was only good for second place as a Hills East thrower tossed the 12 pound metal ball 41-03 feet for first place. Senior Shateek Parler was third with a toss of 39-11 feet.
In the long jump, junior Jaden Bholan had a leap close to 20-feet, but he stepped an inch over the board and fouled. Smith had a leap of 19-feet, but was passed by Hills East who jumped 19-11-feet on his last attempt to claim first place. Senior Michael Drake was third with a leap of 18-09-feet.
The meet have some notable highlights:
• Senior Brian Pierre won both the 110m high hurdles and the 400m intermediate hurdles. He ran is best time of the season with a performance timed at 15.5 seconds in the 110m hurdles before going on to edge Jonathan Smith and Justin Stevens in the 400m hurdles with an effort clocked at 63.1 seconds. (Smith and Stevens ran 65.2 and 67.0, respectively.)
• Freshman Anthony Joseph won the 200m (23.2 seconds) and 400m (53.6 seconds) dashes. “That’s great for a freshman, especially in these frigid conditions,” Wilson said.
• Senior Michael Drake placed second in the high jump with a leap of 6-feet with Joe Garetano finishing third with a jump of 5-10-feet.
• Nasir Youngblood and Jason Turner placed second and third, respectively in the 100m dash. Turner also placed third in the 200m dash.
• Sophomore Jaylen Bush placed second in the 110m hurldes with time of 16.3 seconds.
• Senior Nicolas Sanin placed second in the pole vault.
• Throwers Levi Leach, Shateek Parler and Clay Jamison swept the discus placing first, second and third, respectively.
* * *
Huntington improved its record to 3-0 this week by sprinting past Smithtown East, 90-36. The Blue Devils swept the 200m dash behind Anthony Joseph, Jason Turner and Nasir Youngblood.
Youngblood claimed the 100m dash in a time of 11.2 seconds, with Turner close on his heels, two-100ths of a second behind. Joseph also captured the 400m dash in 51.7 seconds.
Michael Drake won high jump with a leap of 6-0-feet with Jaden Bholan was second with a jump of 5-10-feet.
Isaiah James won the 800m dash in 2:04.