If last Friday night’s season-opening performance at the North Shore Invitational is any indication, the Huntington High School boys’ indoor track and field team is going to be something very special.
The Blue Devils looked mighty impressive at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory in Manhattan. Huntington was especially outstanding in winning the 4x400m relay in a time of 3:27.57. It’s a remarkably fast finish for this early in the season and is better than any 4x4 the team ran last winter.
The four legs of the season were covered by Justin Stevens, Anthony Joseph, CJ Kiviat and Johnathan Smith. The Blue Devils easily turned back challenges from second place Freeport and third place Colonie and the other 22 teams in the event.
Huntington head coach Ron Wilson and assistant coach Eli Acosta were generally pleased with how the evening unfolded, although both veteran track mentors always manage to find something in need of improvement.
Dozens of teams from all across the metropolitan area participated in the meet, which extended late into the night. “It was a long day, but it was a very good day,” Wilson said.
Highlights for the Blue Devils also included:
- The 600m run drew 109 entries, but that didn’t stop Huntington from making a statement in the event with Justin Stevens (1:24.32), CJ Kiviat (1:25.36) and Isaiah James (1:25.64) finishing third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
- Eric Sands finished second in shot put in a field of 74 with a throw of 45-01.25 feet. Gary Barash (39-11.75) and Mekai Butts (39-05.00) placed sixth and ninth, respectively.
- The 55m dash saw Anthony Joseph place third in 6.79 seconds and Nasir Youngblood finish seventh in 6.84. The event drew 149 entries.
- In the 55m hurdles, Jaylen Bush placed seventh in a field of 51 in a time of 8.32 seconds.
- Johnathan Smith placed fourth in a field of 41 in long jump with a leap of 19-10.00 feet.
- Jaden Bolen placed fourth in high jump by clearing 5-10 feet. Teammates Trevan Meagher and Joe Garetano placed 11 th and 13 th, respectively. The event had 24 entries.
- Rahliek Thomason finished seventh in triple jump with a series of leaps that measured 39-05.75 feet. The event drew 22 entries.
“We aren’t at full strength yet, but everything is moving along nicely,” Wilson said.
