Huntington High School Blue Devil fencing is back on the Suffolk map following a powerful performance at the Section XI championships last weekend. After several years of not having any qualifiers for the individual portion of the county meet, this year’s team had fencers in both the men’s and women’s sabre and foil competitions.
Fencers qualify for the individual championship round based on their performance in the team competition held earlier in the day.
Suffolk runner-up Ally Kustera with Huntington coaches Michelle O'Brien and Vin O'Garra.
Five Blue Devils reached the individual championships, including Benjamin Edgar-McNerney and Matthew Mead in men’s sabre and Jake Amend in men’s foil. Ally Kustera reached the individual round in women’s sabre and Emely Cruz qualified in women’s foil.
Kustera was the county runner-up in sabre with Cruz placing ninth in foil. McNerney and Amend both placed eighth and Mead finished ninth in their respective weapons.
“Ally Kustera fenced outstanding throughout the day, ending her senior season on a very high note,” Huntington head coach Michelle O’Brien said. “During the team event, she had only two defeats, which earned her a seed in the individual competition. In the individuals, she went 6-2 earning herself a solid ending to a great high school fencing career with a second place finish.”
Huntington’s boys’ team finished fifth in the Suffolk team standings with the Blue Devil girls capturing sixth place overall in the county.
The regular season saw Huntington’s boys place third in the league and county while the Blue Devil girls finished second in the league and fourth in the county.
Huntington senior Maddy Bavaro won the Alan Kuver Fencer’s Fencer Award, which is voted on by Suffolk fencers, who select one male and one female fencer they feel are the best models of the sport as well as for sportsmanship and friendliness. Coach Kuver passed away in 2014 and the award was renamed in his memory shortly thereafter.
O’Brien was named Men’s Coach of the Year, following a vote of all Suffolk coaches. Although her name appears on the plaque, O’Brien insisted it is for all who have worked with the team in supervisory and coach capacity this year. Vin O’Garra is Huntington’s assistant coach and Timothy O’Brien is the team’s armorer, who is affectionately referred to as “Mr. Coach” by the Blue Devils. Eric Mininni also covered several weeks of coaching duties during the season.
O’Brien, who previously won the women’s Coach of the Year award in 2019/20 and 2020/21, is hopeful about the chances for recognition of sportsmanship by Section XI. “Our girls’ team has won the league sportsmanship award for the past two seasons,” she said. “I am optimistic that this recognition will continue, perhaps even including the boys team this year!”
The Blue Devils went home happy. “We all not only performed well at counties, but the season went great,” Bavaro said. “I could not be prouder of the team.”
While Huntington is savoring its accomplishments, the coaches and fencers who will return next winter are already looking ahead. “It was a great season and we foresee even better things in our future,” O’Brien said.