The Huntington High School mock trial team will compete in the Suffolk Final Four round this week after the Blue Devils toppled Smithtown West in a quarterfinal trial. Huntington faces top seeded East Islip with a trip to the county championship on the line.
The Blue Devils will be facing a foe with a long tradition of success in mock trial competition. East Islip has qualified for the Suffolk playoffs in each of the past 19 consecutive seasons and it won the 2008 state title.
Huntington’s mock trial club is led by co-presidents Emily Geller and Christopher Maichin. Suzi Biagi and Greg Dieterich served as the organization’s faculty advisors. Xavier Palacios and John LoTurco are the group’s longtime volunteer legal advisors, who has both spent an enormous number of hours preparing team members for competitions.
The Blue Devils are currently 6-0 after winning four straight regular season trials and a pair of playoff round matchups. Huntington will argue the plaintiff’s side of the case this week while East Islip assumes the defense. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Stony Brook will take on No. 3 Ward Melville.
“Both Xavier and I feel that our team is led by two of the most talented student attorneys in Suffolk County in Christopher Maichin and Emily Geller,” Mr. LoTurco said. “Both seniors have developed into feared courtroom advocates and provided our team with the confidence that we can beat any opponent. Our two other attorneys, senior Ashley Genao and junior Angie Hernandez-Ramos have also consistently provided exemplary performances throughout the season. Our senior witnesses Jillian LoTurco, Molly Fallon and Sophie Laserson have portrayed their roles with poise and professionalism, which provided tutelage to our underclassmen witnesses. Our freshman trio of witnesses Nina Fascilla , Lizzy James and Isabella Careccia all have been superb and have promising futures as potential attorneys on the team.”
The Blue Devils have qualified for the playoff round in all seven seasons of the program’s existence. About 30 Suffolk high schools send a team into the courtroom with the top 16 advancing to the post-season after four weeks of trials. Huntington won the 2018 county title and went on to finish third in the state.
This marks the third time the Blue Devils have advanced to the Suffolk Final Four. Huntington has won about 80 percent of its trials during the seven year history of the program.
East Islip will be a tough foe. Its program participates in other mock trial competitions and it boasts an academic mock trial preparatory program, not unlike fellow powerhouses William Floyd and Northport.
“We feel we have a championship caliber team with members who are all deeply committed to bringing home another mock trial championship to Huntington,” Mr. LoTurco said.
