Spirited Homecoming Despite Blue Devils’ Loss
/Gorgeous weather formed the perfect backdrop for Huntington High School’s Homecoming Day on Saturday. A midday parade through Huntington village included hundreds of participants and the afternoon football game drew a crowd of more than 2,000.
“We had the perfect weather for a perfect day, which began with a tremendous turnout for a spirited parade,” Superintendent James Polansky said. “Thank you to the students, staff, parents and PTA leadership from all buildings for their participation.”
The huge crowd packed the bleachers and spilled out on either side of the structure to watch as the Blue Devils gave undefeated Miller Place all it could handle early in the game before falling behind and finally succumbing to the Panthers’ offensive onslaught.
Huntington sported a new look offensively with Davonte Evans at quarterback and Infinite Tucker returning to receiver. The offense seemed to hum early as the team gobbled up yardage on its first possession and marched down the field only to sputter with the goal line in sight and then miss a field goal attempt. Eventually, the Blue Devils were burned by penalties, miscues and big plays as the Panthers opened up a 14-0 halftime lead, which they expanded to 20-0 by the end of the third quarter. Huntington’s lone score came when Evans hit Tucker with a 12-yard scoring strike in the fourth quarter.
“Without a doubt, we improved some aspects of our play,” Huntington head coach Steve Muller said. “But, we are still making too many mistakes, which always come back to haunt you against a good team… The bottom line is that we have to get better and we are making steady progress.”
Halftime of the football game saw exciting performances by the Blue Devil marching band and the Highsteppers, the school’s competitive dance team. Royal Court members Andrew Napurano, Joe Saginaw, Santiago Alzate, Tim Mattiace, Emily Sager, Lana Ziegler, Liz Corrao and Sydney English were introduced to the crowd before Saginaw and English were crowned homecoming king and queen.
The game, halftime performances and homecoming-related festivities kept everyone’s interest. Hundreds of alumni turned out, including members of Huntington’s Class of 1994, which celebrated its 20th reunion.
The parade was led by the Blue Devil marching band and included students from all eight district schools, district and building level administrators, PTA officers, Huntington Foundation officials, board of education trustees, parents and high school athletes with many marching behind banners. The Class of 2015 won the float competition with their stunning effort depicting Nemo. This year’s float theme was Pixar movies.
Check out some pictures from the event below!
