Huntington senior Johnathan Smith capped off another incredible day of performances by winning the gold medal in the 600m run at the 2019 Freedom Games at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex at Staten Island. The competition drew 48 entries from multiple states up and down the East Coast.
Smith’s first place time of 1:21.61 set a new Freedom Games meet record and ranks him No. 1 in New York State and No. 2 in the United States this winter in the 600m run.
The teenager hasn’t made his college decision yet.
Trustees Appoint Coaches . . .
Huntington School Board members approved the appointment of two coaches during a public meeting on Monday night in Adam Spector Auditorium at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School.
Carli Clementi was approved to serve as an assistant varsity girls’ lacrosse coach. Shawn Dunn was appointed as the crew team’s assistant coach.
H-ton’s Jaden Bholan Among Best in High Jump . . .
Huntington senior Jaden Bholan is ranked No. 3 in Suffolk, No. 4 on Long Island and No. 10 in New York State in the high jump this winter. The Blue Devils star cleared a height of 6-03 feet earlier this season to put him among the top athletes in the event.
Freshman Max Rentsch Drops 23 Points . . .
Freshman Max Rentsch enjoyed a career night, pouring in 23 points in the Huntington boys’ basketball team’s 64-56 loss to visiting Smithtown East.
Huntington trailed 20-7 after one period before rallying to close its deficit to 36-28 by halftime. Rentsch’s point total included nine free throws and a pair of three-pointers. Dan Danziger added 13 points for the Blue Devils.
Huntington scored 21 points from the free throw line, but it wasn’t enough, although the Blue Devils did make a game of it in the closing minutes. Lex Colato had six points and Ian Ardelli, Matt Girimonti and Chad Rowe scored four points each. Omari Stephen had two points.
It’s the Johnathan Smith Show at Staten Island . . .
Huntington senior Johnathan Smith improved his rankings in the 300m dash to Long Island No. 1, New York No. 3 and US No. 11 with a third place finish in 34.98 seconds at the 2019 Freedom Games at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex at Staten Island.
Only three other Blue Devils have ever dipped below 35 seconds in the 300m dash. Smith’s time is the fourth fastest ever by a Huntington athlete. Kyree Johnson (33.85 seconds; also a Suffolk record), Lawrence Leake (34.65) and Y’Majesty Allen (34.80) hold the top three spots in Blue Devil history.
(Smith was edged by competitors from Pennsylvania and Maryland.)
Abby Maichin Scores 17 Points . . .
Junior Abby Maichin scored 17 points, including three, 3-pointers, but the Huntington girls’ basketball couldn’t overcome a difficult second quarter that saw the Blue Devils fall behind by 10 points.
The two teams battled to an 8-8 first quarter stalemate before Smithtown East pulled ahead 21-11 by halftime. The Bulls extended their lead to 38-26 by the start of the final frame.
Maichin’s 17 points led Huntington. Jordan Forte, Paige Lennon and Emily Plachta all scored four points. Christie Baade had three points and Gianna Forte, Charlotte Maggio and Junie Nostile all scored one point from the free throw line.
Blue Devils Sharp at the Hispanic Games . . .
The Huntington girls’ indoor track and field team received many fine performances last Friday night at the 25th annual Hispanic Games at the Armory in Manhattan.
Olivia Conte finished fourth in a field of 96 entries in the freshman 55m dash with a personal best time of 7.62 seconds.
Junior Alicia Brooks placed third in a field of 29 in the novice long jump with a leap of 15-08 feet.
Freshman Erin Ye was fourth in a field of 18 in the freshman/sophomore 1500m race walk with a time of 8:34.56.
Huntington Girls’ Basketball Struggles . . .
The Huntington girls’ basketball team continue to struggle last Friday night as the Blue Devils fells at home to Deer Park in league play, 49-32.
Huntington trailed 10-8 after the first quarter and 19-12 at halftime. The deficit grew in the third quarter as the Falcons pulled further ahead by 29-19.
The Blue Devils rallied in the final frame to get within a handful of points, before Deer Park closed the book with a sustained run.
Christie Baade led Huntington with eight points. Paige Lennon scored six points and Gianna Forte added five points. Abby Maichin had four points and Charlotte Maggio had three points. Alexa Amorison, Katie Browne and Emily Plachta all had two points each.
Pierre Leroy Helps Lift Huntington Swimming . . .
J. Taylor Finley Middle School eighth grader Pierre Leroy is a wonderful swimmer. He is so good that he is a star on the Blue Devil varsity team.
Leroy recently helped the Huntington/Harborfields combined squad easily defeat host Brentwood, 91-46. Leroy won the 100 fly in 1:03.99.
Huntington/Harborfields is currently 5-0 this winter.
Blue Devils Win Silver Medals in 4x200m relay . . .
The Huntington girls’ indoor track team’s freshman 4x200m relay finished second in a field of 24 teams from across the metropolitan area at the 25th annual Hispanic Games at the Armory in Manhattan.
The Blue Devil relay team consisting of Caroline O’Rourke, Olivia Conte, Analisse Batista and Brianna Halbeisen finished the race in 1:54.26. Only Brooklyn’s Paul Robeson High School for Business & Technology edged Huntington’s magnificent quartet.
Seven Wrestlers Win Matches at West Islip . . .
The Huntington wrestling team dropped a 45-39 league verdict to West Islip.
The Blue Devils’ victories came from Joe Petrone (pin in 1:04 at 99 lbs.), Samir Rathore (pin in 4:41 at 120 lbs.), Aedan McDonald (7-2 decision at 132 lbs.), Robert Smith (pin in 5:29 at 170 lbs.), Jonathan Koumas (pin in 1:25 at 182 lbs.), Tazadon Smith (pin in 1:25 at 220 lbs.) and Aidan Mrotzek (pin in 1:01 at 285 lbs.).
Girls’ Track Highlights at Hispanic Games . . .
There were many highlights for the Blue Devils girls’ indoor track and field team at last weekend’s 25th annual Hispanic Games at the Armory in New York City.
Some of the highlights included:
- Keily Rivas finished second in a field of 34 in the varsity 1500m race walk, completing the race in 7:28.21.
- Analisse Batista finished eighth in a field of 22 in the invitational 400m dash in a time of 59.18 seconds.
- Valerie Rogel (11 th in 5:24.23) and Ella Siepel (14 th in 5:30.98) turned in great performances in the sophomore 1500m run, which drew 56 entries.
Blue Devil Sophomores Impressive . . .
Huntington sophomore indoor track stars Anthony Joseph and CJ Kiviat continued to drop their times in the 300m dash on Saturday at the Freedom Games at Staten Island.
Joseph won his heat in 36.10 seconds to rank him as the No. 1 sophomore in the event in the state and overall No. 4 in Suffolk and No. 5 on Long Island.
Kiviat improved his time to 36.34 seconds, winning his heat. He’s ranked closely behind Joseph at No. 5 in Suffolk and No. 8 on Long Island.
H-ton Boys’ Basketball Falls to Deer Park . . .
The Deer Park boys’ basketball team jumped out to a 23-7 first quarter lead and never surrendered their advantage the rest of the way as the Falcons toppled visiting Huntington, 66-52 last Saturday afternoon.
Huntington freshman Max Rentsch scored 15 points and junior Dan Danziger and Ian Ardell added nine points each. Chad Rowe had eight points and Matt Girimonti scored seven points. Omari Stephen added four points.
Isaiah James Gains on Competitors . . .
Huntington sophomore Isaiah James won his section of the 1000m run in 2:42.62 at last weekend’s Freedom Games at Staten Island. The teenager’s time in the event ranks him No. 10 in Suffolk County.
James currently owns the number one time in the 1000m run among all Suffolk sophomores.
Ian Ardell & Lex Colato Pace H-ton Victory . . .
The Huntington varsity boys’ basketball team won its first game of the season on Monday night when it toppled visiting West Islip, 43-36.
The Blue Devils opened a 22-8 lead over the first eight minutes and held a 34-19 halftime advantage. West Islip rallied, but never managed to overtake Huntington’s lead.
Ian Ardell led the Blue Devils with 13 points and Lex Colato dropped 11 points. Chad Rowe scored 11 points, all in the first half. John Paci and Max Rentsch had four points each. Ardell and Rowe both had three 3-point baskets.
West Islip Cruises Past H-ton Girls’ Basketball . . .
The Huntington varsity girls’ basketball team came up short against West Islip on Monday night, falling to the Lions, 43-20.
The Blue Devils trailed 8-3 after the first quarter and 11-9 at halftime. West Islip took command of the game in the third quarter, building a 25-18 advantage.
Freshman Emily Plachta paced the Blue Devils with seven points. Eighth grader Gianna Forte and sophomore Charlotte Maggio had four points each. Seniors Christie Baade (three points) and Paige Lennon (two points) combined for five points.
