Sports
It's A Weekend of Red Raider Champions
The Barnstable High School girls rolled over Bridgewater-Raynham Friday night to capture the team's first OCL championship since 2008, while BHS junior wrestling co-captain Will Henson brought home the program's first-ever individual state championship.
There is glory in the air.
Barnstable High School junior wrestling co-captain Will Henson went unbeaten at 2-0 in the MIAA Division 1 State Individual Tournament yesterday, defeating Weymouth's Sean Murphy, 15-0, to bring home the school's first-ever individual state championship.
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Henson's victory over Murphy capped a 4-0 weekend for the 170-lb., newly crowned state champion, and qualified him to make a deeper run at the MIAA All-State Tournament in Salem, MA on Feb. 24.
Last year, Henson finished in 4th place in the "states," in the 160-lb. class, but last weekend he joined a rarified crowd as just the sixth Red Raider to win a Division 1 South Sectional championship. He was also awarded the South's Most Outstanding Wrestler medal.
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Joining Henson in this weekend of Red Raider champions was Mike Botello, a mere 8th grader who took 5th place in the states in the 106-lb. class. Botello's finish also qualified him for the All-State tournament.
But equally if not more exciting was Friday night's Barnstable High School girls basketball team thrashing of the guest Bridgewater-Raynham girls. Why?
Because the Red Raiders' 49-28 victory over the visiting Trojans clinched the program's first Old Colony League championship title since 2008 and the first-ever captured by second-year head coach George Bent.
Contrary to other published reports, however, the Barnstable High School boys basketball team did not clinch the Old Colony League title on Friday night, but it did clinch at least a tie for the title. Led by Red Raider senior captain Charlie Rice's 19-rebound, 11-point double-double, Barnstable did indeed defeat the host B-R Trojans 53-40.
That victory put Barnstable at 4-1 in the OCL. Dartmouth (2-3), meanwhile, staged a major upset over Taunton (3-2) Friday night, 67-57, with Indians' sharpshooter Mike Simonetti scoring 32 points.
That upset gave Taunton two OCL losses (3-2) and put Dartmouth at 2-3 in the OCL. Thus, if Barnstable defeats Darmouth this coming Friday night, it will, in fact, clinch the Old Colony League championship. If Dartmouth defeats the Red Raiders and Taunton defeats Bridgewater-Raynham, then Barnstable will be OCL co-champions. In essence, Barnstable has clinched at least a tie for the Old Colony League championship but to win the league title outright, it will have to beat the guest Dartmouth Indians on Friday night (Feb 17).
