An staggering commitment to perfection and the hundreds of hours that were necessary to realize it is paying handsome dividends for Huntington High School’s mock trial team, which upset No. 1 East Islip in the county semifinals and advanced to the Suffolk championship match against powerful Ward Melville.
“Our team put together a performance today that left the judge amazed,” said Xavier Palacios, who along with John LoTurco are the Blue Devils’ volunteer legal advisors who have been working for months with team members to get Huntington to where it finds itself today.
“The judge remarked that today’s two teams were ‘truly the best he had seen in all of the years he’s judged the competition.’”
Huntington had to be on top of its game to topple undefeated East Islip and it was. The Blue Devils won by a single point. As the presiding judge announced the verdict, the team and spectators cheered.
“Today’s competition had us all on the edge of our seats as both sides were battling for points through their litigation tactics and quick responses,” Mr. Palacios said. “Our witnesses held strong against tough cross examinations by East Islip. And our attorneys carved into the East Islip witnesses with masterful cross examinations. It was truly an epic battle.”
Seniors Christopher Maichin and Emily Geller are Huntington’s team captains. Teachers Suzi Biagi and Greg Dieterich are the faculty advisors.
The Blue Devils are 7-0 this year. The championship match will be held next Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Suffolk County Bar Association’s headquarters in Hauppauge.
“This victory marks the second time in the Huntington mock trial program’s seven years of existence that the team has secured a spot into the county finals,” Mr. Palacios said. “Ironically, we will be competing against Ward Melville again for the county title.”
