It’s all about winning while having fun for the Huntington varsity field hockey team. The Blue Devils are coming off a very successful season, but they want more; much more. With a roster filled with veterans, the squad has set its sights high for 2022.
The Blue Devils have a pair of scrimmages on Tuesday and Wednesday with Half Hollow Hills and Newfield before traveling for their first game at Connetquot on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Games will follow at Huntington against West Islip (Sept. 7) and Sayville (Sept. 10).
Coached by Kathy Wright and Allison Conlon, the roster includes 22 players, including sophomores Charlotte Curtin and Sophia Weiss; juniors Sophie Lange, Ella O’Heir, Jordana Paniccia, Brooke Parks, Olivia Polinsky and Elizabeth Stair; and seniors Grace Agrillo, Laurel Bonn, Gemma Cartwright, Laura Curtin, Quinn Fox, Tessie Maerz, Markella Markotsis, Kaci McDonald, Katie Meagher, Rachel Morina, Abigail Pawlak, Erin Scanlon, Carlee Schultz and Stephanie Wickey, who is the team manager while she recuperates from an injury.
“We are looking really good so far,” Maerz said. “We are a strong team that is going to go very far. We have a strong defense and offense and good leadership.”
Team captains include Maerz, Cartwright, Scanlon, Bonn and Agrillo. The Blue Devils practice every morning and afternoon last week, conditioning and working on their skills and playing as a team.
“The team is looking really good and everyone is extremely motivated to have a winning record and be a top contender in our league,” McDonald said.
Huntington has a new junior varsity coach in Hildi Stanford and many new JV players who are adding energy and excitement to the program.
The Blue Devil varsity is seeded No. 3 in Suffolk entering the season, so hopes are running especially high, but nothing is guaranteed and the coaches and players both know it.
“The team is looking great and I’m super excited for the season,” Scanlon said. One of the Blue Devils’ strengths is the bond that exists between players. It’s hard to imagine a more closely knit team.
“Since most of our team is returning players, were are already really strong and skilled,” Laura Curtin said. “We’ve also been doing a lot of new drills this year, which helps us even more with scoring and defending against other teams.”
The Blue Devils are trying not to get too far ahead of themselves, instead striving to take it one day at a time. While practices are fun, the team wants to get just a little bit better each day.