Blue Devils Win League Golf Title

The Huntington High School golf team has captured the Suffolk League III regular season and tournament championships and qualified six golfers for the county finals next spring, but the Blue Devils still want to accomplish more; much more.

Huntington juniors Tom Waldron and Chris Bergman finished 1-2 in the league tournament at the Rock Hill Golf & Country Club in Manorville. Waldron shot 41 on the front nine and 38 on the back nine for a 79. Bergman shot 40 on both the front and back nine holes for an 80.

Blue Devil senior Charles Bast finished in fourth place with an 83. Sophomore Jim Smoot and eighth grader Tyler Gerbavsits both shot 87 to tie for ninth place. Junior Justin Loturco finished in 11th place with an 89.

Huntington easily won the team title with a score of 416. Half Hollow Hills West (432), West Islip (444), Half Hollow Hills East (475) and Bay Shore (479) were among the top five teams as West Babylon and Lindenhurst rounded out the field.

“What a year,” said Michael Marinello, Huntington’s head coach. “They have passed every test this season and I could not be prouder of their performance. If the rules allowed, I have no doubt that our team could have qualified all 12 of our players [for the county finals.”] The Blue Devil roster also includes Tom Kopstein, Alex Borman, Scott Venturino, Matt Giamo, Chris Glowacky and Chris Abbondandelo.

After qualifying six individual golfers for the county finals, Huntington has a legitimate shot at winning the Suffolk crown. Marinello is urging his players to continue hitting the links as frequently as possible between now and next May.

“I was very excited to win the league individual championship and the league team championship,” Waldron said. “I’ve worked hard all season and have been very consistent.

The great thing about our team is that anyone of our six players could have won that individual league championship. Each of us has the ability to shoot low scores and we’ve picked each other up all season long. We are a very good team and a lot of fun to play on.”

Like many of the Blue Devil golfers, Waldron hopes to play the sport on his college team after he graduates from Huntington High School. Right now, he is concentrating on continuing to improve and looking forward to the county championships next May.

“I will be spending time in the spring and summer playing in American Junior Golf Association tournaments and sharpening my game,” Waldron said.

Designed by renowned architect Frank Duane, Rock Hill opened for play in 1965. The course is open to the public every day, year round. The Blue Devils will return to Rock Hill for the Section XI championships in May. The New York State championships are set for May 31-June 2 at Cornell University in Ithaca.

With three accomplished team veterans and several impressive newcomers, Huntington will carry five league medalists and an exceptional eighth grader to the Suffolk finals next May. “I look forward to working with them in the spring to make a serious run for the county title,” Marinello said.