The Huntington boys’ track and field team capped off an undefeated season by turning back a challenge from Half Hollow Hills East in the final meet of the regular season, 97-29. The Blue Devils compiled a 6-0 record to capture the League III title.
Among the many outstanding performances were ones by Mekai Butts in shot put and discus. The senior threw 48-10 feet in shot put and a personal best of 137-09 feet in discus. Teammates senior Will McClellan and freshman Stephon McLeod got in on the action as well. McClellan placed second in shot with a toss of 39-01 feet and McLeod placed third in discus with a toss of 113-11.5 feet
Senior Anthony Joseph was spectacular in long jump, winning the event with a leap of 21-09 feet. “He actually had a jump that measured over 23 feet, but the official called it a foul,” Huntington head coach Ronald E. Wilson said. “It was close, but we were okay with the win. We’ll save the 23 foot jump for divisions on Tuesday.
Joseph would later team up with freshman sensation Jahmar Francis and junior John Chirico in the 400m dash. The trio has consistently run 1-2-3 in the event. Joseph won in 51.1 seconds followed by Chirico in 52.2 and Francis is 53.0.
Junior Julio Martinez (11.0 seconds) seniors Cameron Santa-Maria (11.4) and Chad Rowe (11.9) in the 100m dash. Freshmen Andy Suazo and Gabe Abreu also performed well in the event, winning their respective heats.
Huntington proved to be dominant in the distance events as well. Senior Aidan Heller took the mile in 4:36 while senior Carlos Martinez ran a personal best in 4:56 to take fourth place. Seniors CJ Kiviat and Isaiah James finished 1-2 in the 800m race. “The two are gearing up for divisions which will be very tough,” Wilson said. “Northport, Eastport-South Manor, Deer Park and Smithtown West have put out some of the county’s best 800m runners in the state.”
Huntington will host the Suffolk Division II Track & Field Championships tomorrow (Tuesday, June 8) at 4 p.m. The Blue Devils will need to be at their best if they want to be crowned champions.
Reigning Division II champions Smithtown West will be a major factor in the meet. Similar to the Blue Devils, the Bulls have great hurdlers, jumpers and sprinters. The also went undefeated in regular season competition, winning the League IV title.
“You also can never count out Northport, which comes with an arsenal of distance runners every year that perform very well,” Wilson said. “Northport also has one of the top throwers in the state on their roster.”
New to the division is Connetquot, which fields a young team full of talent and who gave the Blue Devil’s their biggest challenge this season. “They are a well-rounded team that can and will score in just about every event,” Wilson said. “We had to win all three relays to pull away with the team win.”
Deer Park and Eastport-South Manor also have threats at several events. “They both boast talent in distance events as well,” Wilson said.
Bellport, Comsewogue, Smithtown East, North Babylon, West Babylon, Copiague, West Islip and Half Hollow Hills East will also vie in the divisional championships and enter some of Suffolk’s best runners and throwers at a variety of events.
The championships will be livestreamed for spectators to watch at home. Fans should log-into YouTube and search for Huntington Blue Devils Sports or click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk46lE-ekxEKRwdFzZPgbqg The livestream will begin shortly prior to 4 p.m.