Hewlett repeats as county champ

Senior Kevin Dehaney won the Triple Jump, finished second in the High Jump and took third in the Long Jump to lead Hewlett to its second straight Nassau Class AA boys’ spring track and field championship. 

Dehaney compiled 24 of the Bulldogs’ 111 points and had plenty of help. Senior Ayodele Akinnowonu was runner-up in the Shot Put and Discus, junior Alex Bellucia won the Pole Vault and scored in both hurdle events, senior Windell Blake won the 400, and the 4 x 800 relay ran a strong second.

“I can’t say enough about how our seniors stepped up,” coach Eamon McHugh said. “We usually don’t have captains, but this year we did. The kids chose them early in the season after a so-so start, and the team just responded.”

Dehaney, Akkinnowonu, Brian Chambers and Rafael Cohen not only served as captains but also led by example. “They responded in big situations,” McHugh said.

Dehaney, who is headed to Coastal Carolina, a Division I program, won his third straight county outdoor Triple Jump title with a personal-best leap of 45 feet, 5 ¾ inches. “He’s going to be close to irreplaceable,” McHugh said. “He really just crushed it at counties. I’ve seen him intense before, and I’ve seen him calm. Before that last jump, he was a little bit of both.” Dehaney’s cleared 6 feet in the High Jump and had a 20-4 Long Jump.

With Jericho’s Noah White in another stratosphere in the throwing events, Akkinnowonu did the best anyone else in Class AA could’ve hoped. His shot heave of 42 feet, 7 ¼ inches held up for second, and his 140-foot discus throw was a personal best by far. White went 55-6 and 190-8, respectively. “Ayo was seeded second in the shot and did his job there, and also helped our other thrower [senior Andrew DeProssino] get fourth,” McHugh said. “He was constantly working to improve his discus and had never broken 130 before he topped 140.”