Huntington UFSD Expands Athletic Opportunities

Huntington UFSD is in the midst of its largest crusade ever to create additional interscholastic athletic opportunities for students in grades 7-12. It simultaneously doubled the number of intramural program hours offered to those attending the district’s primary and intermediate schools.

Over the past two years, Huntington UFSD has added nine new varsity athletic teams along with six new squads at J. Taylor Finley Middle School. Two additional Finley teams that had been previously cut, were reinstated. In all, there are 17 new teams providing roster spots for hundreds of additional students.

In the 2022/23 school year, Huntington UFSD offers students an athletic program that includes 34 varsity level teams; 14 JV teams and 24 middle school teams for a total of 72 Blue Devil athletic teams.

The coaching staff totals 105, including 58 on the varsity level; 17 on the junior varsity level and 30 on the middle school level.

The new varsity teams include girls’ gymnastics, girls’ golf, girls’ flag football, boys’ and girls’ badminton, co-ed bowling, Unified bowling, Unified basketball and girls’ wrestling. Second teams in girls’ soccer, girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball and girls’ volleyball and well as new boys’ volleyball and girls’ gymnastics have been added at Finley. Boys’ and girls’ tennis teams have also been reinstated at Finley.

The expansion might not be over just yet. Three additional high school level teams are under consideration now. Officials are studying whether student interest is sufficient to support the new programs. Students have already petitioned to add one of the three sports under review.

Current offerings include:

Fall Season:

Varsity: Football, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, field hockey, boys’ golf, girls’ tennis, boys’ cross country, girls’ cross country, girls’ swimming and diving, girls’ volleyball, girls’ gymnastics

Junior Varsity: Football, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, field hockey, girls’ volleyball, girls’ tennis

Finley: Football, boys’ soccer (two teams), girls’ soccer (two teams), field hockey, girls’ tennis, co-ed cross country

Winter Season:

Varsity: Boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, boys’ indoor track and field, girls’ indoor track and field, boys’ fencing, girls’ fencing, wrestling, co-ed bowling, co-ed Unified bowling, boys’ swimming and diving, girls’ wrestling

Junior Varsity: Boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, wrestling

Finley: Winter Season No. 1: Boys’ basketball (two teams), girls’ volleyball (two teams)

Finley: Winter Season No. 2: Girls’ basketball (two teams), wrestling; boys’ volleyball

Spring Season:

Varsity: Boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, baseball, softball, boys’ tennis, boys’ outdoor track and field, girls’ outdoor track and field, girls’ golf, boys’ badminton, girls’ badminton, girls’ flag football, co-ed Unified basketball

Junior Varsity: boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, baseball, softball, boys’ tennis

Finley: boys’ lacrosse, girls’ lacrosse, baseball, softball, boys’ tennis, boys’ outdoor track and field, girls’ outdoor track and field, girls’ gymnastics

History of Huntington Interscholastic Athletics

Games and sports have always played a role in the life of the Huntington community. Huntington Academy opened in 1793 followed by the Union School in 1858 and finally Huntington High School in 1897. Consistent with the widespread practices of the era, physical education and athletics programs were not offered to students. Sports were community based with what were essentially town teams in baseball, basketball and football.

In 1910, students met with Superintendent/Principal Robert K. Toaz and secured his permission to form what they called the Athletic Association. The group was governed by the students themselves, who raised monies for equipment and supplies, uniforms, travel and coaching. Memberships in the Athletic Association were sold along with tickets to games. Dances were held. Athletic Association members received discounted admission to games and free tickets to periodic dances. Mr. Toaz retained veto authority of the Athletic Association’s actions.

Each team had a manager who was responsible for scheduling games with a small group of Suffolk and Nassau high schools. Games were also played against alumni and town teams. There was no governing body at the time such as NYSPHSAA or Section XI.

When the United States mobilized for World War I and implemented a draft of young men in 1917/18, officials were startled to learn how out of shape most the draftees were. It took twice as long to condition them as planned, delaying their entry into battle. Physical fitness became a matter of national defense.

Physical education programs were initially established for boys to exercise. Classes consisted of extensive calisthenics, running, climbing ropes, obstacle courses, etc. As the years passed, girls were included in physical education programs.

In 1926/27 the high school building was enlarged, including a new gymnasium below the new auditorium. The district hired Cortland State Teachers College graduate William Class in 1929 and he went about developing a physical education and athletics program, including extensive intramurals for boys and girls. The program grew over the years to include a variety of sports.

Huntington boasted one of the most powerful high school sports programs on Long Island throughout the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. With the passage of Title IX in 1972, discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs was banned. This led to the massive growth of a full-fledged girls’ athletic program. Soon after, widespread junior high school sports were developed.