Liva Camarata Crushes Performance at Awards Ceremony
June 17, 2024
The 56th annual Blue Devil Senior Athletic Awards ceremony culminated in memorable fashion when junior Liva Camarata sang live a chilling, crushing version of the Joni Mitchell classic hit, “Both Sides Now,” accompanied by her mom Kayte on piano as a film of the year’s highlights was played on the Huntington High School auditorium’s large screen.
Ms. Camarata rehearsed for weeks, but no one could have anticipated the performance she put on for a crowd of about 300. With a spotlight on her in a darkened auditorium, the teenager hit every note. Asked to sing a slowed down and emotional version of the song, the talented junior owned it.
The evening was a multi-media extravaganza with special effects lighting and walk-up music and lots of photographs taken by Darin Reed. Superintendent Beth M. McCoy and Principal Brenden Cusack both spoke about how proud they are of the seniors who gave the Blue Devils their all.
Seniors Kayleigh Bender and Bryan Lizama took turns addressing the crowd about what it’s meant to them to wear a Blue Devil uniform and represent Huntington.
Director of Athletics Jim Hoops spoke briefly before the highlight film and Ms. Camarata’s memorable performance. He spoke of “putting the kids first in everything we do” and of “giving the kids a voice in this program.” He thanked the 106 coaches who have led 34 varsity level teams; 15 JV teams and 25 middle school teams.
“This is Huntington,” Mr. Hoops said. “It’s a special place. It’s where people of every color, creed and national origin come together as Blue Devils. Our traditions guide us. The culture is one of hard work and no excuses. We fight for Huntington. We deserve only what we earn. We wear Huntington across our chest with pride. Our goal is to win championships. We play by the rules and act with integrity. Our philosophy is “we before me.” Our passion for the Blue Devils is unquenchable. We practice hard and play even harder. We strive to be the best. This is Huntington. It’s a special place.”
The ceremony also saw $15,750 in scholarships and awards presented by the Class/Connell family, O’Bryan family, Empire Automotive Group, Amanda Hertig Cullinan Foundation, Huntington Booster Club, Kleet Lumber and the Fulton family, Steen family, Cambria family, Loughlin family and Paci family. Several scholarships were presented by the families or organizations sponsoring the awards.
This year’s awards and recipients include:
| Team | Award | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Girls Tennis | Most Valuable | Jane Callery |
| Boys Soccer Team | Most Valuable | Bryan Lizama |
| Most Valuable Offensive | Carlos Gutierrez | |
| Most Valuable Defensive | Dylan Hayden | |
| Most Improved | Cruz Flores Andrade | |
| Girls Soccer | Most Valuable Player | Reese Rinaldi |
| Most Improved | Emersen Evans | |
| Coaches Award | Riley Murtagh | |
| Football | Most Valuable Player | Jahmar Francis |
| Most Outstanding Offensive | Kei Shan Miller | |
| Most Outstanding Defensive | Christian St. John | |
| Coaches Award | David Dorilus Dax | |
| Coaches Award | Joseph Zink | |
| Field Hockey | Most Valuable Player | Brooke Parks |
| Most Improved | Jordana Paniccia | |
| Coaches Award | Olivia Polinsky | |
| Coaches Award | Ella O’Heir | |
| Gymnastics | Most Valuable Player | Kaitlyn Sansiviero |
| Boys Cross Country | Most Valuable Player | Ethan Goleski |
| Girls Cross Country | Coaches Award | Jannel Marroquin |
| Most Improved | Jessica Kuom | |
| Girls Volleyball | Most Valuable Player | Kathryn Barba |
| Boys Golf | Most Valuable Player | Declan Kehoe |
| Coaches Award | Nicholas Sclafani | |
| Most Improved | Thomas Girimonti | |
| Boys Basketball | Most Valuable Player | Thomas Girimonti |
| Most Improved | Eli Soric | |
| Coaches Award | Harrison Baliber | |
| Girls Basketball | Most Valuable Player | Kayleigh Bender |
| Most Improved | Reese Rinaldi | |
| Coaches Award | Jessica Maixner | |
| Girls Fencing | Most Valuable Fencer | Layna Abraham |
| Boys Fencing | Most Valuable Fencer | Benjamin Edgar-McNerney |
| Outstanding Leadership | Jake Amend | |
| Coaches Award | Chase Williams | |
| Most Valuable Wrestler | Christian St. John | |
| Most Valuable | Max Casiano | |
| Bowling | Most Valuable | Andrew Sullivan |
| Most Valuable | Jack Ruthkowski | |
| Boys Swimming | Most Valuable | Lucas Spagnoletti |
| Boys Winter Track | Most Valuable | Jahmar Francis |
| Most Outstanding Sprinter | David Dorilus Dax | |
| Most Outstanding Jumper | Nikolai Lulewich | |
| Coaches Award | Yovanni Rivera | |
| Most Improved | Nicholas Rosan | |
| Girls Winter Track | Most Valuable | Andrea Mani-Munoz |
| Most Improved | Damaris Mani-Munoz | |
| Coaches Award | Jannel Marroquin | |
| Coaches Award | Jessica Kuom | |
| Girls Wrestling | Coaches Award | Yuliana Hernandez-Perla |
| Coaches Award | Maricielo Ramos Tunque | |
| Baseball | Most Valuable | Harrison Baliber |
| Most Improved | Dylan Hayden | |
| Coaches Award | Jose Villatoro | |
| Boys Badminton | Most Valuable | Harry Cuadra |
| Most Improved | Jordan Argueta-Guzman | |
| Coaches Award | Christian Chabla-Leon | |
| Girls Badminton | Most Valuable | Megan Lewis |
| Most Improved | Lilebeth Banegas-Barahona | |
| Coaches Award | Dianna Diaz-Portillo | |
| Girls Golf | Most Valuable | Brooke Parks |
| Most Improved | Ella O’Heir | |
| Coaches Award | Jane Callery | |
| Boys Lacrosse | Most Valuable | Thomas Girimonti |
| Outstanding Offense | Daniel McNulty | |
| Outstanding Defense | Patrick Knieriem | |
| Girls Lacrosse | Most Valuable Offense | Kayleigh Bender |
| Most Valuable Defense | Reese Rinaldi | |
| Coaches Award | Stephanie Chavez-Menjivar | |
| Boys Spring Track | Most Outstanding Sprinter | David Dorilus Dax |
| Most Outstanding Jumper | Johan Fajardo | |
| Most Improved | John Genova | |
| Coaches Courage Award | Jahmar Francis | |
| Hurdler’s Award | Nikolai Lulewich | |
| Girls Spring Track | Most Valuable | Jannel Marroquin |
| Most Improved | Marilin Villatoro-Benitez | |
| Coaches Award | Andrea Mani-Munoz | |
| Softball | Most Valuable | Ruby Meidenman |
| Most Valuable | Adriana Abbatiello | |
| Unified Bowling | Most Valuable | Jack Ruthkowski |
| Coaches Award | Maria Verfenstein | |
| Girls Flag Football | Most Valuable | Ariana James |
| Coaches Award | Zaida Correal | |
| Coaches Award | Aylana Powell | |
| Boys Tennis | Most Valuable | Tyler Godin |
Special Awards:
William Class Memorial Scholarship ($1,500): Thomas Girimonti
Courtney O’Bryan Memorial Scholarship ($500): Jannel Marroquin
Courtney O’Bryan Memorial Scholarship ($500): Harrison Baliber
Amanda Cullinan Foundation Resiliency Award ($2,500): Ella O’Heir
Amanda Cullinan Foundation Resiliency Award ($2,500): Jehu Ramsay
Huntington Booster Club Sportsmanship Award ($1,000): Katherine Estrada-Morales
Huntington Booster Club Sportsmanship Award ($1,000): Ella O’Heir
Huntington Booster Club Sportsmanship Award ($1,000): Bryan Lizama
Huntington Booster Club Sportsmanship Award ($1,000): Nikolai Lulewich
Kleet Lumber Scholar-Athlete Award ($500): Kayleigh Bender
Kleet Lumber Scholar-Athlete Award ($500): Harrison Baliber
Empire Automotive Group Scholar-Athlete Award: ($500): Jahmar Francis
Empire Automotive Group Scholar-Athlete Award: ($500): Kaitlyn Sansiviero
Paci Family Football Leadership Award: ($500): David Dorilus Dax
John Fulton Sr. Memorial Scholarship ($250): Thomas Girimonti
Fred Cambria Award ($200): Brian Hrybenko
Peter Steen Memorial Scholarship ($1,000): Jahmar Francis
Donald A. Loughlin Founders Award ($250): Thomas Girimonti
Section XI Gold Key Award: Gabriel Abreu, Carmine Carusone, David Dorilus Dax, Jahmar Francis, John Genova, Thomas Girimonti, Tyler Godin, Ethan Goleski, Yuliana Hernandez-Perla, Jessica Kuom, Nikolai Lulewich, Jessica Maixner, Andrea Mani-Munoz, Damaris Mani-Munoz, Jannel Marroquin, Reese Rinaldi, Gradon Sosnowski
Blue Devil Discipline, Desire & Dedication Award: Kaedon Halbeisen, Dante Salgado, Hannah Song, Lily Mitek, Casey DiGioia, Edwin Marroquin, Cristian Alfaro-Bueso, Marbin Vilorio, Sophie Lange, Elizabeth Stair