Since J. Taylor Finley Middle School will no longer sponsor its own boys’ and girls’ tennis teams, seventh and eighth grade players can request to participate in the state’s athletic placement process and if they meet the required criteria, play at Huntington High School on either the junior varsity or varsity level.
Many districts across Long Island and New York State offer similarly structured boys’ and girls’ tennis programs, foregoing middle school level teams and schedules and allowing seventh and eighth graders to play on the high school level for up to six years.
Finley seventh and eighth grade girls swimmers and divers are invited to participate in the athletic placement process. (Darin Reed photo)
Girls’ tennis is offered in the fall and boys’ tennis is contested in the spring season. Parents of interested incoming seventh and eighth graders should send a message to District Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy (gmccarthy@hufsd.edu) and state they would like their child to go through the athletic placement process and be evaluated for participation on the high school level. Additional information will be provided to parents expressing an interest in having their child evaluated.
The parents of seventh and eighth grade boys’ tennis players at Finley need not contact Ms. McCarthy now. There will be an opportunity to request participation in the athletic placement process next winter prior to the spring season
Incoming Finley seventh and eighth graders are also eligible to participate in the athletic placement process in the fall season sports of girls’ swimming and diving and boys’ golf. Parents of swimmers, divers and golfers should send a message to Ms. McCarthy and request their child be evaluated for high school athletic participation.
Finley seventh and eighth graders can also ask to participate in the athletic placement process in the winter season sports of boys’ swimming and diving, boys’ and girls’ fencing and boys’ and girls’ winter track and field.
Several years ago, Huntington School Board members adopted a resolution authorizing the district and its students to participate in the athletic placement process to allow middle school athletes an opportunity to participate in the high school athletic program.
Send a message to Ms. McCarthy at gmccarthy@hufsd.edu for more information about the district’s athletic program.