Huntington 101 Optimistic About Success

The 101st edition of the Huntington High School varsity football team is in the midst of its summer conditioning in the run-up to the official start of practice sessions on Monday, August 19.

Huntington 101 is led by head coach Ron Wilson; varsity assistants Kevin Graham, Antoine Swain, Dareus Smith and Christopher Taylor; JV coaches James C. Byrnes and James G. Byrnes; strength and conditioning coach Malcolm Eugene and volunteer assistant Anthony McDonald. The J. Taylor Finley Middle School staff includes Anthony Annunziata, Travis Smith and Kevin Thorbourne.

The Blue Devils will run a spread offense and utilize a 3-4 defense. “A relentless spring and summer training program coupled with experience keeps us optimistic and moving forward,” Wilson said. “We know obstacles will be plenty, but we remain hopeful for a successful fall campaign. We will look to rebuild, recharge and find our way back to a winning edge and mindset.”

Huntington saw the number of participants increase on both the JV and varsity levels last fall. “With new players to the game, it was hard to win,” Wilson said. “However, we were competitive in every game. Experience should better our chances of winning.”

This marks Wilson’s 28th year with the program. The Blue Devils have an eight game regular season schedule evenly split between home and away games.

The key returnees include:

Thomas Smith: 12th grade; RB/LB; 6’0, 185 lbs.

“Tom combines strength, power and acceleration on both sides of the ball,” Wilson said. “He’s a deep threat on offense and can go up and get 50-50 balls. He also blocks well on offense and makes great tackles on defense.”

Thomas Kline: 12th grade; WR/DB; 5’8, 160 lbs.

“He’s very crafty and skillful and will provide a quality target for our quarterback, whether from the slot or out wide,” Wilson said. “Defensively, Tommy hits like a linebacker and boast remarkable versatility at either safety position.”

Timothy McDonald: 12th grade; RB/LB; 5’7, 165 lbs.

“Timmy is the most dynamic and entertaining player returning,” Wilson said. “Undersized, but plays like he’s 6’5. He’s very tough in the middle of the defense and he’ll once again return as our defensive play-caller on the field. He also runs the ball well on offense.”

Keegan Malone: 12th grade; TE/LB; 6’3, 220 lbs.

“Keegan possesses great strength and size,” Wilson said. “Last year was his first time playing football and he was our team’s top edge rusher. Offensively, he was a high quality target that hauled in some passes and blocked well in the run offense.”

Jacob Guzik: 11th grade; QB; 5’11, 165 lbs.

“He boasts incredible potential with pocket poise and accuracy,” Wilson said. “Jacob started as a sophomore and is much improved and mature to carve apart defenses from the pocket with his great arm strength.”

Jordan Thorbourne: 12th grade; WR/DE; 6’2; 180 lbs.

“Jordan is a deep downfield threat with great speed and agility,” Wilson said. “Defensively, he has decent strength and speed to be an impact player.”

Titan Elysee: 11th grade; RB/DB; 5’9, 165 lbs.

“Titan possesses great speed and agility,” Wilson said. “In track and field he was the runner-up in the Suffolk 400m intermediate hurdles and ran the second leg on Huntington’s 4x400m relay team was qualified for the states.”

The top newcomers to the varsity look to be:

Banny Soc Concua: 11th grade; OL/DL; 5’10, 235 lbs.

“He has great strength and decent feet to help anchor the offensive and defensive lines,” Wilson said. “He was a huge part of last year’s JV success.”

Frank Algieri: 11th grade; RB/DB; 5’18, 160 lbs.

“Frankie is an all-around great athletes who works very hard on the field,” Wilson said. “His knowledge of the game coupled with his skillset will add to our offense and defense.”

Interested in playing for the Blue Devils? Send Wilson a message at rwilson@hufsd.edu.