Blue Devil Football Celebrates Season at Dinner
The Huntington football program celebrated another strong season, with competitive teams at every level of play. The Blue Devil varsity squad reached the Suffolk Division III finals, compiling a 7-3 mark along the way. In every sense it was a very good year.
Huntington's annual football dinner brought together about 200 players and their family members in the high school cafeteria last week. A lavish buffet consisting of hot and cold items was spread across numerous tables. The dessert table was equally impressive. Most players sampled a little bit of everything.
The Blue Devil coaching staff spoke effusively about their respective teams. In addition to the varsity's post-season run, the JV squad finished with a 5-3 record, the J. Taylor Finley Middle School eighth grade team went 3-1 and the seventh grade squad went 4-0. The final two games of the middle school season were cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
About two dozen award trophies were presented to the program's top players on each of four levels. "Huntington football had a great year," said Steve Muller, the longtime varsity head coach. "We had a super group of young men to work with. This dinner is meant to recognize their hard work and effort. We also give thanks to our parents, who are incredibly supportive of everything we do."
Junior quarterback Ben Kocis earned the Blue Devil varsity's Most Valuable Player Award. The teenager led the division in passing, completing 96-of-166 passes for 1,715 yards and 16 touchdowns. He threw only three interceptions. Kocis also rushed 35 times for 269 yards and five touchdowns.
Junior linebacker Lavar Butts garnered Huntington's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. He recorded 121 tackles last fall, including 41 for a loss. Senior wide receiver Tyler Greenhill was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player and the Outstanding Receiver. He had 32 receptions for 549 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Devon Nelson captured the John Paci Award as the team's most outstanding offensive back.
Kocis, Butts and Greenhill were each named to the All-Division and All-County teams. Nelson, Josh Long, Shaheem Lewis and Troy Green were recognized as All-Division. John Mallouk, Larry McGill, Christian Jamison and Pat Reilly garnered Second Team All-Division honors. Nick Lupi was named a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete.
Finley's top players and their coaches were also on hand to be recognized. "We have some very good players returning to the varsity as well as a lot of talent coming from the JV and Finley teams," Muller said. "If everyone works hard, we will continue to be a very competitive program."
The awards dinner is always a fun night for Blue Devil players. They enjoy getting a pat on the back and are always happy to get together with their teammates. The teenagers also brought big appetites with them so it was fortunate that an entire wall of food was available to dine on. Once the meal was over, it was time for the award presentations to begin.
This year's honorees included:
Offensive Awards:
The John Paci Award (outstanding offensive back) – Devon Nelson
Outstanding Receiver Award – Tyler Greenhill
Outstanding Offensive Linemen Award – Lawrence McGill
Most Outstanding Offensive Player Award – Tyler Greenhill
Defensive Awards:
Outstanding Defensive Back Award – Joshua Long
Outstanding Linebacker Award – John Mallouk
Outstanding Defensive Linemen Award – Shaheem Lewis
Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award - Levar Butts
Special Teams Award:
Special Teams Player of the Year – Patrick Reilly
The Joe Lucey Award:
The Coach's Award – Nicholas Lupi
Christopher Pettit Award:
Scholar-Athlete –Christian Jamison
The Steve Henry Award:
12th man Award – Anthony Puca
The Most Improved Award:
Hard work and dedication – James Byrnes
The Rookie of the Year Award:
Future Contributions to Program – Troy Greene
The Most Valuable Player Award:
Team MVP – Ben Kocis
JV Awards:
JV Most Valuable Player: Justin Weigold
JV Most Improved: Michael Lonergan
7th Grade Awards:
7th Grade Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Matthew O'Brien
7th Grade Most Defensive Player: Anthony McDonald
8th Grade Awards:
8th Outstanding Offensive Player: Jared Leake
8th Outstanding Defensive Player: Nick Lanzisero
Outstanding Service Awards:
Secretaries Amy Smith and Mary Lou Paxton
Filming: Steve Henry