Stevens, Kiviat 1-2 in 600: Teammates help Huntington grab Suffolk crown

Ruiz, Mike. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 Feb 2020: 

After stepping off the track following a tightly contested victory, Justin Stevens of Huntington grinned at his teammate, CJ Kiviat. 

Kiviat then shared a good laugh with Stevens. After all, it was Kiviat who finished less than a quarter of a second behind Stevens in the 600 meters. 

Stevens, Kiviat and the rest of their teammates were all smiles by the end of the day, as Huntington won the team championship with 88.5 points at the Suffolk Boys Large School track and field championships at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood on Saturday afternoon. 

Smithtown West finished second with 56 points, and Longwood placed third with 40.5. 

“He beat me last year, so I had to get him back this year,” Stevens smiled after winning the 600 in 1 minute, 24.05 seconds, just ahead of Kiviat (1.24.24). 

“We talked about how we felt it was a good race, and preparing for the 4 x 400,” Stevens said. “It’s all about what’s left. We always push each other a lot. With us, there’s a lot of friendly competition … I’m very fortunate to have these guys push me.” 

Stevens, Kiviat, Isaiah James and Julio Martinez proceeded to win the 4 x 400 relay (3:28.07) in impressive fashion. Connetquot finished second (3:34.32). 

Anthony Joseph was also victorious for Huntington, winning the long jump (22 feet). 

Michael Danzi put together another quality performance for Smithtown West, as he came away a double-winner with victories in both the 1,600 (4:36.17) and 1,000 (2:35.92). 

A late surge helped Danzi seal the 1,000, slightly ahead of Bay Shore’s Nolan Kata (4:36.56). 

“I knew when I wanted to make my move on that last turn,” Danzi said. “So I just waited until then and it worked out for the best.” 

The Smithtown West senior decided to take an even more assertive approach in the 1,600, as he pushed forward from second place entering the final lap and never looked back. 

“I wanted to make my move at the time that felt right for me,” Danzi said. 

Earning his first county title was Sachem East’s Christian Berberich, who won the 3,200 (9:43.81) to open the day. 

“It feels phenomenal,” Berberich said. “It’s just the culmination of all my years running, and the thousands of miles I’ve put in over four years. It feels really good getting it done.” 

Berberich said the key to victory was continuing to push himself despite any fatigue. 

“I just had to put everything that I had in myself,” Berberich said. “It’s just getting to the end and then you can be as tired as you need to be, just knowing that you got it done.” 

Riverhead’s Tyreek Parker set a personal best in the 55 hurdles (7.55), and ran off the track in excitement after the time flashed across the scoreboard. 

“My personal best was a 7.7,” Parker said. “So for me to run a 7.55, wow … I hit a few hurdles, so at first I thought I would’ve ran a 7.6 or 7.7. But to see the 7.55, that’s just a big accomplishment.” 

Parker said a strong start is what ultimately powered him to victory. 

“My main focus was getting out and getting ahead of everyone, and keeping it there,” Parker said. “Getting off the blocks was a big key.” 

The closest finish of the day occurred in the 300, where Middle Country’s Nicholas Lavazoli edged Copiague’s Khalil Chester by only four-thousandths of a second. Lavazoli finished in 35.844, and Chester in 35.848. 

Other winners included North Babylon’s Christian Fils-Aime in the 55 (6.64), Commack’s 4 x 800 relay team of Roshan Kalikasingh, Kiyoshi Shiomitsu, Aidan Spahn and Naru Nakamura (8:19.67) and Sachem East’s 4 x 200 relay team of Anthony Urbancik, Gavin Neile, Christian Ramsingh and Adriel Robinson (1:32.82). 

West Islip’s Tyler Carpinello won the triple jump (43-6), Nicholas Pisciotta of Commack won the shot put (50-4) and Patchogue-Medford’s Christian Albright placed first in the high jump (6-2).

Boys Large School Results 55: Berberich, Sachem East, 9:43.81. Vassilas, SW, 9:46.69. Paules, WI, 9:54.46.  55H: Parker, Riverhead, 7.55. Muir, Floyd, 7.66. Tona, SW, 7.78.  300: Lavazoli, MC, 35.844. Chester, Copiague, 35.848. Joseph, Huntington, 35.87.  600: Stevens, Huntington, 1:24.05. Kiviat, Huntington, 1:24.24. James, Huntington, 1:24.92.  1,000: Danzi, SW, 2:35.92. Fodor, Northport, 2:36.30. Scheiner, Longwood, 2:36.68. 1,600: Danzi, SW, 4:36.17. Kata, BS, 4:36.56. Sabia, SW, 4:37.02.  3,200: Berberich, Sachem East, 9:43.81. Vassilas, SW, 9:46.69. Paules, WI, 9:54.46.  4X2: Sachem East, 1:32.82. Commack, 1:35.29. Huntington, 1:35.33.  4X4:Huntington, 3:28.07. Connetquot, 3:34.32. Bay Shore, 3:35.96.  4X8: Commack, 8:19.67.      Bay Shore, 8:22.20. Huntington, 8:30.95.  Shot: Pisciotta, Commack, 50-4. Barash, Huntington, 48-9.50. Butts, Huntington, 47-10. High: Albright, PM, 6-2. Watkins, Longwood, 6-0. Love, HE, J6-0. Joseph, Huntington, 22-0. Banks, Longwood, 21-4.50. Menella-Singleto, SN, 21-3.50.  Triple: Carpinello, WI, 43-6. Bertolet, Connetquot, 43-4. Scott, Longwood, 43-1.75. Team: Huntington, 88.50. Smithtown We