Huntington JV Peaks in Final Two Games of Season

The Huntington junior varsity football team didn’t reach its full stride until late in the season. The team completed the fall campaign with back-to-back victories to send everyone home for the offseason feeling good about themselves and the Blue Devils.

Huntington was coached by Cole Rudnick and Dennis Scruggs and captained by TJ Peters, Shane LeGrow, Chuck Rosselli, Ben Burke and Jory Morgan-Page. The Blue Devils had 27 players on their roster at the end of the season.

Huntington defeated Bellport (26-0) and Newfield (16-14) in the final two games of the season. “Winning our last game, 16-14 was the highlight of the season,” Rudnick said. “We got out to an early first quarter lead, 16-0, but then Newfield fought back to score two touchdowns unanswered. Our defense, late in the fourth quarter made several big plays. Our defense stopped Newfield from tying the game by making a big tackle to prevent them from making a two point conversion. Once we got the ball back we drove down the field and unfortunately fumbled. The defense put the team on their back and handled adversity well to ultimately prevent Newfield from scoring the game winning touchdown on a huge fourth down play. It was great to see our team handle adversity and play with high energy to end the season in the right direction.”

The team was led by the following players:

Sophomore Spencer Sturges (WR/DB): “Spencer was a spark for our team all season and made huge plays for us all season long on both sides of the ball,” Rudnick said.

Sophomore Joshua Roman (OL/LB): “Josh was the anchor of our offensive line and battled through a thumb injury all season long,” Rudnick said. “He continued to play almost every snap on both sides of the ball with this injury. He showed a tremendous amount of heart all season long.”

Sophomore Alex Castro-Simpson (RB/LB): “Alex dominated all season long while battling injuries,” Rudnick said. “Alex has a very bright future ahead of him and I’m excited to see him take the next step in his playing career next season.”

Sophomore Danny Cabrera (OL/DL): “Danny was a leader of the linemen this season,” Rudnick said. “He often took the younger players under his wing to teach them how to be successful. Danny often worked by himself after practice to become better. Danny's work ethic is inspiring for all of his teammates.”

Freshman Shane LeGrow (RB/WR/LB): “Shane was a universal player for us,” Rudnick said. “Any job he was asked to do, he would do it. Shane often played many positions and knew every play from all positions. We are looking forward to see Shane be a leader of our team again next year.”

Sturges led the team in touchdowns while LeGrow had team highs in interceptions and tackles.

“This season didn’t start the way anyone wanted it to but this team showed a relentless amount of heart and fight to end the season on a winning streak,” Rudnick said. “As first year coaches, we wanted to build a good culture where players were held accountable by their teammates. I believe we are trending in the right direction to build on top of this next year to be successful. This was a great group coach every day and I look forward to seeing them compete in their winter sports!”