The Huntington High School golf team overwhelmed Half Hollow Hills West and Walt Whitman on Tuesday afternoon to clinch the Suffolk League II championship. But the 9-0 Blue Devils aren’t done just yet.
Huntington will vie for an undefeated league season on Thursday at Crab Meadow when the Blue Devils square off against highly regarded Commack.
Huntington varsity golf coach Michael Marinello.
Huntington easily bested both Hills West and Walt Whitman on the Huntington Crescent Club course. The Blue Devils dispatched both foes by identical 9-0 scores. However, Commack poses a more serious threat.
“We beat them the first time around by a 6.5-2.5 score, but those numbers are very misleading,” Huntington head coach Michael Marinello said. “It was a very close match. We expect Thursday’s match to be equally tough.”
Joseph Sclafani shot a 3 over par 39 to pace Huntington on a day of dominating victories. The Blue Devils shot a season low 210 with solid performances up and down the six man lineup.
By winning the league crown, Huntington has secured for itself a first round bye and home course advantage in the Section XI team tournament.
“We all stepped up today,” Joe Sclafani said. “Even though our scores have been up and down, we played great as a team. We were all very excited to win all of our matches and make up the league champs.”
The team’s roster includes seventh grader Jake Severine; eighth grader Nicholas Sclafani; sophomores Robert Eriksen, Carl Pulizzotto and Joe Sclafani; junior Kyle Colleluori and Jack Giamo and seniors Billy Burton, Matthew Girimonti, John Lourenso, Jack Monahan and Patrick Sclafani. The Blue Devils’ home course is the Huntington Crescent Club.
In the twin victories over Hills West and Whitman, Giamo shot a 40, Pat Sclafani turned in a round of 41 and Lourenso carded a 43. Monahan (47) and Colleluori (48) also competed in the starting lineup.
“We are finishing out the season well with a league title and first round bye in the playoffs,” Giamo said. “We are now focused on keeping our undefeated season going throughout the playoffs.”
The Blue Devils set winning the league crown as one of the team’s goals last August. “I’m very proud of all our guys,” Pat Sclafani said. “Everyone worked hard during practice and even on off days to perfect their craft. We came ready to play every day, regardless of who we played or where we were in the lineup. We all deserve this league title and can’t wait to finish out the season strong and go far in the playoffs.”
The Huntington golfers intend to keep focusing until the season’s final putt. “We have all worked really hard to become league champions and everyone is thrilled that we are,” Colleluori said. “But we can’t let up now. We have to continue playing hard to finish undefeated and advance far into the playoffs.”