Blue Devils Win on Morgan’s Message Day

The Huntington girls’ lacrosse team held a Morgan’s Message themed day on Monday afternoon, with shirts and pre-game messages stressing the importance of being aware of mental health related issues and reaching out for support before situations become serious.

With varsity and JV players and coaches decked out in Navy blue Morgan’s Message shirts, Huntington senior captains Devon St. John and Sabrina Boyle and head coach Katie Reilly each addressed the Blue Devil and visiting Sachem East teams and fans.

The Blue Devils dedicated the game to the life and legacy of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died by suicide in July 2019 after sustaining a “dream shattering” knee injury that sent the 22 year old into an emotional tailspin.

Both teams lined up on the field to listen to the speakers address the crowd. “In honor of Morgan Rodgers, Morgan’s Message was created to show student athletes that it is okay and it is courageous to ask for help. In a sentence, a semicolon signifies a pause; a place where a period could have gone and the sentence could have ended, yet it goes on. In this way, the semicolons on the back of all of our shirts symbolize hope. The semicolon is our drive as student athletes to keep going when we feel lost and persevere even when it seems impossible. It is a reminder to keep going. In Morgan’s memory, we have to remember that mental health is just as important as physical health and should be treated as such. Thank you.”

Morgan’s Message Day has been an annual event at Blue Devil Stadium. “Whether through wearing t-shirts or doing an ice bucket challenge, the Huntington women’s lacrosse program is dedicated to spreading awareness regarding mental health,” Ms. Boyle said. “Athletes are expected to be tough, resilient, and unbreakable. But the truth is, strength also comes from acknowledging when you’re struggling and taking advantage of our resources by reaching out for help. There’s where Morgan’s Message comes in. Together, we practice building a culture where mental health is treated with the same care and importance as physical health. As athletes, we remember that everyone is human and today we highlight that by playing for something bigger than the outcome of competing. As teammates, we support each other, our coaches, our families and our communities. Thank you all for being here and helping the Huntington women’s lacrosse program spread the message that Morgan gave us all to share.”

Huntington Superintendent Beth McCoy, Assistant Superintendent Brenden Cusack, Huntington School Board President Xavier Palacios, Huntington High School Principal Rochelle Brown and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School Principal Donna Moro were all on hand for the ceremony.

“We need to be able to not feel guilty for taking a break or stepping away from the things that don’t provide us  growth,” Coach Reilly said. “We are humans before athletes. We are humans before employees or students. We are humans that make mistakes. And most importantly, we are humans that need to feel that it’s okay to ask for help without dismissal or judgement. Thank you.”

Following the pre-game ceremony, Huntington and Sachem East battled it out with the Blue Devils emerging with an 18-9 victory to improve their record 6-0 in league play and 7-1 overall.

Huntington burst out to a 6-0 first period lead. The Blue Devils led at halftime, 10-6 and put the game firmly out of reach with seven unanswered goals in the third period to take a commanding 17-6 lead.

Sabrina Boyle (22 goals; 6 assists) scored five goals and Jolie Weinschreider (20g; 7a) had four goals and an assist. Devon St. John (8g; 1a) tallied three goals and an assist. Grace Gordon (17g; 13a) scored a pair of goals and added four assists. Valentina Puccio (14g; 6a) scored two goals and assisted on two others and Bridget Callery (8g; 6a) had two goals and an assist. Andie DiGioia stopped a pair of shots in goal and Juliet Johnson had one save in the cage.

Huntington plays at Commack on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.