H-ton Boys’ Badminton Believes Success Lies Ahead

As the Huntington High School boys’ badminton program heads into its third year of existence, Blue Devil head coach Alex Nelson is confident that success lies ahead.

Last spring’s team was led by senior Jordan Argueta in No. 1 singles; junior Ludo Cattano in No. 2 singles and senior Harry Cuadra in No. 3 singles. Juniors Jose Chitay and Steven Palma, held down the No. 1 doubles spot. Senior Christian Chabla and freshman Dennis McCook comprised the talented No. 2 doubles team. “All were invited and qualified for the county tournament,” Nelson noted. “Jordan, Jose and Steven made it to the second round, which is a big deal.”

Argueta was completely new to the sport, but after he signed up he took the team over. “Jordan has exceptional talent in badminton and learned the game very quickly,” Nelson said. “He did such an amazing job catching up to the other players and surpassing them as the No.1 singles player.”

Cattano was part of the first team in 2023 and he returned for a second season. “Ludo qualified for the Suffolk county tournament, something he did not accomplish last season,” Nelson said. “Ludo did a great job representing Huntington in the tournament and we look forward to having him next year.

The team is losing Cuadra to graduation and the team captain will be missed. “Harry is not only an exceptional player, making the county tournament, but he is the heart and soul of the team,” Nelson said. “Harry is the foundation of this team. He did an amazing job leading this team for a second time and will be greatly missed moving forward.

Chabla is also moving on after graduating in June, but he imparted his knowledge on McCook, his No. 2 doubles partner. “They played together for the first time this season,” Nelson said. “They had great chemistry and will be greatly missed next year as a doubles team, but Dennis McCook will be returning and has a bright future on the team.”

Chitay and Palma will both return next spring and they, too, have been with the program since its debut. “They have never missed a match in two years of badminton and their dedication paid dividends this year,” Nelson said. “Jose and Steven were invited to the county tournament for a second straight year and won their first round matchup in the tournament.”

Argueta, Cuadra and Alexis Rodriguez captained the 21 member team. “Honestly, our best team accomplishment has to be the fact that we did not forfeit a single match-up this year,” Nelson said. “Last year we really struggled with numbers and commitment, but this year was completely different. This is a big step in a young program.”

A Huntington High School physical education teacher and a former high school badminton player at Smithtown East, Nelson is determined to develop a winning Blue Devil program.

“I am extremely proud of the progress this team has made in its second year,” Nelson said. “We are still young as a program and we are competing against teams that have been around for decades. I am so proud of the boys on this team showing up each and every day to compete. They never get down on themselves; they never got discouraged; they never gave up. They kept moving forward and it’s something I greatly admire about them.”