H-ton Boys’ Fencing Celebrates Season & Looks Ahead

The Huntington boys’ fencing team continues to celebrate a season that saw the Blue Devils reach the county team tournament finals. As the coaches and athletes savor that achievement, the group has started looking ahead to next winter when 15 current underclassmen are eligible to return.

Coached by Michelle O’Brien and Vincent O’Garra and captained by seniors Liam Tucker and Jeffrey Garcia-Cabrera, the Huntington boys’ squad finished second in both the league and county.

Tucker (23-7 record) garnered All-Long Island honors along with first team All-County recognition. He finished seventh in epee in the county individual tournament.

Garcia-Cabrera (24-10) was honorable mention All-County and second team All-League. He placed eighth in epee in the county tournament.

First team All-County fencer Benjamin Edgar-McNerney (25-5) placed second in Suffolk in men’s sabre with honorable mention All-County fencer Timothy Kusterbeck finishing fourth in the sabre standings.

Jake Amend captured second team All-County and first team All-League honors, placing sixth in foil in the county tournament.

Peter Gaal and Abdiel Castillo Martos also shined with both earning honorable mention All-County and honorable mention All-League status.

O’Brien said that “every senior on this team will be missed,” especially the leadership of Tucker, Garcia-Cabrera, Gaal, Castillo Martos and Kusterbeck.

“Liam has spent six years on this team; Jeffrey, Peter and Tim have spent four and Abdiel, two,” the coach said. “They have each made such a contribution to this team with their energy, dedication and hard work.”

Reaching the championship match of the county team tournament was the highlight of the season. The team also excelled at the Alan Kuver Memorial Relay with the men’s foil squad winning gold; the epee squad taking silver and the sabre squad earning bronze.

Among those eligible to return next winter are current eighth graders Cole Lima and Owen Stevens; freshmen Ethan Ambrosio, Eoin Charles, Joseph Gilhuley, Daniel Simon, Alexander Tine and Dylan Wong; sophomores Thomas Galicia-Martinez, Marcus Santiago, Sam Soric and Ben Soric; and juniors Jake Amend, Benjamin Edgar-McNerney and Chase Williams.

The Blue Devils are saying goodbye to seniors Abdiel Castillo Martos, Peter Gaal, Jeffrey Garcia-Cabrera, Sam James, Tim Kusterbeck, Justin Perez Castillo, Charles Siepel, Liam Tucker and Dom Vidota.