They weren’t able to get the traditional sendoff that each of them deserved, but Huntington High School senior boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball players were honored as best the Blue Devils could muster under the circumstances.
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the 52nd Blue Devil senior athletic awards banquet from being held this year. So coaches had to find an alternative way of honoring their seniors and presenting their top players with large, impressive trophies to commemorate their accomplishments.
Blue Devil boys’ basketball coaches Jordan Ioviero, Todd Jamison and Patrick Reilly presented Coaches Awards to Lex Colato (University of Bridgeport), Omari Stephen (CUNY Queensborough Community College) and Matthew Girimonti (Elon University).
Huntington girls’ basketball coaches Michael Kaplan, Marissa Bergmann and John Romano presented four awards to Abigail Maichin (MVP – University of Notre Dame), Holly Wright (Defensive Specialist – SUNY College at Cortland), Megan Byrnes (Unsung Hero – LIU Post) and Isabella Toscano (Coaches Award – University of Oklahoma).
All of the seniors played key roles on their respective team. Each of them was honored during their team’s last home game last winter, including speeches by their coaches and teammates, posters hung on the gym wall commemorating their respective career and an escort out to mid-court by their parents.
With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging and the outlook for the resumption of high school an open question, Blue Devil basketball coaches are nevertheless making plans for the season, including trying to determine who will assume the roles vacated by the seniors who just graduated last month. It won’t be a simple task.
