The spring athletic season is fast approaching. At Huntington High School, spring season teams include boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys’ and girls’ track and field, boys’ tennis, baseball, softball and crew.
The high school spring season will run from March 4 to approximately May 17 followed by playoffs for teams/individual athletes that qualify.
At J. Taylor Finley Middle School the spring season teams include baseball, softball, boys’ tennis, boys’ and girls’ track and field and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse.
The Finley spring season will run from March 25 to approximately June 7
For more information call the Huntington UFSD athletic office at (631) 673-2018 or send a message to Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy at gmccarthy@hufsd.edu.
Finley Girls’ Basketball Team Coached by Tim Madden
The J. Taylor Finley Middle School girls’ basketball team coached by Huntington physical education teacher Timothy Madden includes a talented group 16 seventh and eighth grade players.
The squad features seventh graders Amirah Beverly, Emersen Evans, Chloe Hunt, Ariella Katigbak, Isabella McCarthy, Tinia McGee, Neurdia Osias and Oliva Spada and eighth graders Abagail Baade, Kenya Baker, Victoria Befumo, Miranda Bellissimo, Ava Brandine, Daniela Luca, Ni’Tiera McGee and Gabriella Miller.
Coach Madden has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2002. A graduate of Hauppauge High School, he obtained an undergraduate degree at SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University. He has coached football, basketball, baseball, track, lacrosse and softball at various levels.
Junior Dan Danziger Paces Blue Devil Basketball . . .
Junior Dan Danziger’s sharp shooting and a strong second half propelled the Huntington boys’ basketball team to a 51-36 victory at West Islip.
Danziger scored 15 points and Ian Ardell added 12 points and eight blocks to lead the Blue Devils. Chad Rowe had nine points and JP Paci scored six points. Lex Colato played a great all-around game and added five points and six steals. Jack Monahan had three points and Jake Costabile scored a point from the free throw line.
Huntington jumped out to a 13-4 first quarter lead, but the Lions came roaring back to cut their deficit to 18-16 by halftime. The Blue Devils went on to outscore West Islip in the second half, 33-20.
Huntington dropped 10 three-point baskets with Danziger and Ardell connecting for three each, Rowe hitting two from beyond the arc and Colato and Monahan both tallying one each.
West Islip Nips Huntington in Overtime . . .
The Huntington girls’ basketball team rallied from a 10 point deficit, going on a 14-0 run to take the lead before falling to West Islip in overtime, 30-29.
The Blue Devils had trouble scoring through most of the game. West Islip led 7-3 after eight minutes and by 15-7 at halftime. The Lions extended their advantage to 21-11 by the end of three quarters before Huntington finally rallied.
Emily Plachta sank a pair of free throws to give the Blue Devils a 27-25 late in the game, but West Islip responded and tied the score at 27-27 with 16 seconds remaining. The Blue Devils had several opportunities to win it in overtime, but they couldn’t convert any of them.
Abby Maichin led Huntington with 17 points. The junior had seven points from the free throw line. Plachta had eight points and Jordan Forte and Charlotte Maggio had two points each.
Finley Girls’ Basketball Team Coached by Alex Nelson
The J. Taylor Finley Middle School girls’ basketball team coached by Huntington physical education teacher Alex Nelson looks quite formidable.
The team’s roster is filled with 16 seventh and eighth graders, all anxious to display their shooting, dribbling, rebounding and defensive skills.
The squad includes seventh graders Kayleigh Bender, Tess Calabria, Jane Callery, Jazmyne Greene, Marley Joseph, Jessica Kuom, Riley Murtagh, Kiara Poellnitz, Reese Rinaldi, Maya Sakellarios and Mia Thompson and eighth graders Hope Bilkey, Megan Donaghy, Emma O’Brien, Neha Rathore and Theresa Rivera.
Mr. Nelson has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2017. A graduate of Smithtown High School East, he obtained his undergraduate degree at Adelphi University, where he dual majored in physical education and accounting. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in health education.
Licensed by Eastern New York Youth Soccer as a professional soccer trainer working for Long Island Professional Soccer, Mr. Nelson has coached middle school and JV soccer and middle school basketball. He trains travel soccer teams for the Long Island Junior Soccer League.
