Blue Devil Wrestlers in League Tournament on Saturday

The Huntington wrestling team will take to the mat in familiar surroundings on Saturday when the whistle blows at 9:30 a.m. for the first match of the Section XI League III tournament in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium.

Huntington is hosting the tournament for the first time in many years and head coach Andy Marlow has been working hard to make sure the team is ready for the grueling competition against foes from North Babylon, Connetquot, Commack, Copiague and Newfield.

Huntington’s front line includes Jose Gonzales, Jason Bencivenga, Chris Granito, Dante Francis, Walter Kusterbeck, Charlie Circlincione, Rasiere Blizzard, Joseph Conklin, Kingsley Evans, Gevonne Henderson, Vincent Pupillo, William Peters, Jose Quintanilla and Danny Cabrera.

Teams are permitted to enter two wrestlers in each of 14 weight classes. Weigh-ins will be on Saturday from 8-9 a.m. with wrestling continuing throughout the day. The semifinals are estimated to start at 1 p.m. with the finals penciled in to begin at 4:30 p.m.

The top four place-finishers in each weight class will advance to the Suffolk tournament at Stony Brook on Saturday and Sunday, February 14-15.

"These wrestlers have worked hard and focused on fixing up areas of their wrestling that needed improvement," said Marlow. "Their conditioning has been dialed in and I'm feeling good they can put their best wrestling of the season out on our home mats this weekend."

Huntington’s starting lineup still counts as young with an eighth grader, six sophomores and three juniors among the group. Do they have the experience to finish in the top four in their respective weight class? That’s what Saturday will determine. The tournament will play out on three mats before an expected 500 fans.