The Huntington football team toppled Smithtown West on its Homecoming Day last Saturday night, 34-0. The victory evened the Blue Devils’ record at 2-2 heading into next weekend’s home game against West Babylon.
Huntington suffered several early miscues, but its defense bailed the team out. Once the Blue Devil offense started to hum, it was impossible to stop, with effective air and ground attacks. Placekicker Jack O’Brien successfully converted four of five extra point attempts.
Quarterback Anthony Annunziata completed six of eight passes for 130 yards, including a pair of touchdowns to John Chirico. Annunziata found Chirico opened in the first quarter and connected for a 57 yard touchdown. The pair teamed up in the final frame for a 13 yard touchdown to seal the win.
Huntington’s ground game gobbled up 275 yards. Josiah Melendez rushed 20 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns on runs covering 32 yards and eight yards. Lucas Petrizzi carried the ball 10 times for 90 yards, including a 30 yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Robbie Smith rushed four times for 30 yards and Annunziata had three carries for 25 yards.
The Blue Devil defense was effective throughout the game. Liam McDonald had two quarterback sacks and a pair of tackles for a loss. He also forced a fumble. Jahiem Hawkins made three tackles for a loss.
The game was played before a capacity ground at Smithtown West’s football stadium. The Homecoming Day atmosphere made the victory even more special for Huntington.
“I think we played very well,” Blue Devil head coach Steve Muller said. “There are always mistakes here and there, but we did an awful lot right. I’m proud of the team.”
Huntington hosts West Babylon on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on the Blue Devil Stadium turf field. It will be Homecoming Day in Huntington and a large crowd is expected to attend the game.