Blue Devils Participate in Section XI Leadership Conference

A contingent of Blue Devils participated in Section XI’s third annual Nick DeCillis Student-Athlete Leadership Conference at Brookhaven Town Hall last Friday.

The conference drew about 200 student representatives from five dozen Suffolk high schools. The event was organized by Center Moriches athletic director Jeremy Thode.

The participating Huntington High School students included seniors Kymora Dorvilus and Vincent Pupillo; juniors Ava McDonald and Caroline Mitek and sophomores Ava Bencivenga and Kingsley Evans.

The student-athletes have been meeting throughout the fall via Zoom to plan the conference and develop topics for discussions with athletic directors, coaches and their peers.

The purpose of the leadership program is to enhance the student-athlete experience in Section XI. Some of the areas covered include sportsmanship, school pride, model programs, fundraising practices, college recruiting, time management, the amount of time devoted to athletics, mental health and wellness, athletic training practices, late games, etc.

The conference included a variety of speakers including Navy seal Chris Wylie and retired New York Islanders hockey player Steve Webb.

Mr. DeCillis, a former longtime athletic director at Middle Country and an administrator at Section XI for which the conference is named is also an inductee of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away at 90 in September 2022.

The conference ran from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants were served lunch. Dozens of Suffolk athletic directors were also in attendance along with Section XI Executive Director Thomas Combs and Assistant Director Peter Blieberg.