H-ton Football Falls to West Babylon on Historic Night

Ron Wilson knew it wasn’t going to be easy, so the Huntington football head coach has to be content seeing his Blue Devil players making slow, but steady progress from week to week.

On an historic night at Blue Devil Stadium, no one wanted to win more than Wilson, but while Huntington scored three touchdowns and was at times effective on both sides of the ball, too many mistakes cost the team dearly as West Babylon battled its way to a 39-22 victory.

It was Huntington’s first home night game in 84 years and the weather was perfect. The crowd included current and former superintendents, school board members, alumni dating back 70 years and dozens of faculty and staff members along with a large student cheering section.

Wilson’s team consists primarily of underclassmen and it will take time for them to mature. While the coach hopes it happens sooner than later, it’s definitely moving in the right direction. But it can be frustrating at times for both players and coaches.

Huntington’s touchdowns came on a pass from Jacob Guzik to Jahmar Francis; a pop pass from Timothy McDonald to Tommy Smith and a quarterback sneak by Joey Zink, who then connected with Christian St. John for a two-point conversation.

The Blue Devils stayed with West Babylon during the early part of the game, but a series of mistakes and misplays opened the door for the Eagles and it seemed like every time they were presented with an opportunity they capitalized on it.

“We are bloodied but unbowed,” Wilson said. “We will get back up and fight again. I’m proud of the team. We all played hard. No one quit. We fought. We battled. We made it a game. We are heading in the right direction. Not as fast as I had hoped, but definitely improving. It happens at its own pace. Working hard is paying off and will continue to pay off.”

Huntington will regroup for its third game at North Babylon on Saturday, September 23 at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils will host another night game against Smithtown East on Friday, September 29 at 6 p.m.