Blue Devils Nip East Hampton to Advance to Elite Eight

The Huntington High School mock trial team nipped East Hampton in the closest matchup of the season to advance to the Suffolk courtroom tournament’s Elite Eight Round.

The Blue Devils walked into the John P. Cohalan Court Complex in Central Islip in an unfamiliar position as the tournament’s seventh seed after compiling a 3-1 mark during the regular season. With many new teams in the playoffs this year, a bit of uncertainty filled the air, but once Huntington strolled into Supreme Court room 32C to square off against No. 10 seeded East Hampton, the Blue Devils felt right at home.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Deborah Poulos presided over the match and ultimately awarded the victory to Huntington, stating “the attorneys won the case,” before inviting all students into her chambers for feedback and a discussion on their legal futures.

Huntington will face No. 2 Northport on Wednesday in a county quarterfinal round match at the Cohalan Court Complex.

Huntington’s legal advisor is attorney Xavier Palacios. The mock trial club’s faculty advisors are Bryan Outsen and Suzi Biagi.

East Hampton posed a real threat to the Blue Devils, who had to be close to perfect to win. “As the plaintiff side of the case for the second week in a row, senior attorney Natalie Parrott absolutely captivated not only the judge and the audience, but struck fear into the eyes of the opposing attorneys as she delivered a near flawless opening statement, walking throughout the court room as she outlined the burden her team would set out to prove,” Mr. Outsen said. “On her direct examination she was able to successfully enter all four pieces of evidence needed for the case with no objections and she delivered a dominating cross examination, impeaching a seasoned and difficult witness for East Hampton.”

Huntington’s first witness, sophomore Eli Levi performed well on direct examination as he was able to showcase his technical AI skills, through his testimony as the plaintiff’s expert. He then battled relentlessly against both extreme limitations from the judge, as well as possibly the most intense cross examination the Blue Devils have seen this year. He showcased knowledge of his affidavit as he fought tirelessly against numerous impeachment attempts.

Senior Isabella Careccia-Johnson served as Huntington’s middle chair attorney and provided the much-needed calm, cool and collected tone the Blue Devils needed from their attorney bench. “Her professional demeanor was on display as she demonstrated complete control over both her direct examination and cross of the character witnesses on both sides,” Mr. Outsen said. “She showcased an extremely impressive 70 percent success rate on her objections throughout the trial and asserted her dominance over the opposing attorney.”

Freshman witness Hannah Boyle stole the show and was outstanding in her first ever playoff performance. Her likeability was on full display as her smile and confidence won the judge over on both direct and cross examination, which was one of the longest and detailed she has seen to date. “Going up against an experienced senior attorney, she proved that she truly belongs on a championship caliber team,” Mr. Outsen said.

Finally, senior Nina Fascilla was back for her first performance in over a month and she did not miss a beat. Her rapport with Huntington’s lead witness was superb as she delivered a flawless direct examination and provided a much-needed re-direct examination after an intense cross examination.

“Her cross examination was equally impressive as she went up against East Hampton’s best witness and she was able to meticulously point out the malice that Sandy Townes possessed when trying to defame Superintendent Leslie Manns,” Mr. Outsen said. “Her closing statement was the last push we needed to ensure that our burden of proof was met as she not only broke down the entire case with legal expertise and style, but also added in key moments and direct quotes from the trial that helped our case and hindered the opponent’s.”

Ms. Fascilla’s witness, senior Vincenza Garofalo showed off her experience at a high level of competition right off the bat as she demonstrated perfect use of the microphone, posture and reference to evidence. Her mastery of her affidavit was on full display on direct examination and on cross, against one of the best attorneys on Long Island, her confidence never faltered. Through numerous attempts to limit her responses, she was able to successfully defend her position as a superintendent wrongfully accused.

The action continues on Wednesday for Huntington, who spent the weekend prepping the Elite Eight round showdown.