With Just Two Seniors, Blue Devil Fencing on the Rise

The combined Huntington/Harborfields varsity boys’ and girls’ fencing teams closed out the season with high hopes, if not expectations, for future success. Only two seniors will be lost to graduation and many underclassmen garnered All-County and All-League honors.

The season culminated last weekend at the Section XI Individual Fencing Championships at Half Hollow Hills East. Competitors earned the chance to compete based on their individual records through the season. The top 18 fencers in each sex and weapon were selected to compete, with numbers 19 and 20 coming as alternates in the event someone had gotten ill overnight and would not be coming.

As the host team for the combined squad with Harborfields, Huntington coordinates all team activities and hosts all practices and home meets at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School. Michelle O’Brien serves as head coach with Vincent O’Garra as the assistant coach.

Many of the Huntington/Harborfields team members who earned the chance to compete had also earlier earned All-County and All-League honors, including:

● Dylan Wong: All County Honorable Mention and All League Honorable Mention in men’s foil

● Nick Martinez: All County Honorable Mention and All League Honorable Mention in men’s foil

● Owen Stevens: 2nd Team All County and 2nd Team All League in men’s epee

● Franklin Rathbun: All County Honorable Mention and All League Honorable Mention in men’s epee

● Julia Goodwin: 1st Team All County and 2nd Team All League in women’s sabre

● Chelsea Drummings: 2nd Team All County and All League Honorable Mention in women’s sabre

● Olivia Lee: All County Honorable Mention and All League Honorable Mention in women’s foil

● Veda Gross: All County Honorable Mention in women’s foil

● Caelan Bues: All County Honorable Mention and All League Honorable Mention in women’s epee

● Ariana Zavala-Nunez: All County Honorable Mention in women’s epee

“The results of the individual championships yielded two medalists (top six),” Coach O’Brien said. “Harborfields High School sophomore Franklin Rathbun took fifth place in men’s epee and Huntington High School sophomore Chelsea Drummings captured third place in women’s sabre. Blue Devil sophomore sabre fencer Julia Goodwin finished in eighth place and Huntington sophomore epee fencer Owen Stevens placed seventh.”

Additional awards earned by the Huntington team included the Girls’ Using Hero Award, “which is for a team member who maybe isn’t one of the top scorers but is always at practice and meets and is always willing to do whatever is needed to benefit the team,” Coach O’Brien said. “The candidates for this award are based on nominees from the coaches and are voted on by the Coaches Association Executive Board.”

The Unsung Hero Award was captured by Huntington senior Celina Flores-Lopez, “who was new to fencing this year and eased into the team like she had always been there,” Coach O’Brien said. “Celina is the one fencer who fenced all three weapons competitively over the course of the season and never hesitated, knowing it would benefit her team.”

Coach O’Brien was named the Suffolk Girls’ Fencing Coach of the Year by a vote of county fencing coaches. This marks the third time she has received this award with previous recognition coming ins 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Huntington expects to field a strong team next winter. “We are only graduating two seniors in 2025 and look forward to earning their way into the team playoffs as well as the individuals in the future,” Coach O’Brien said.