Make it three straight.
Thanks to the brilliant running of senior running back Hayden Murphy and the adept passing of Kristian Lucashensky (7-11, 163 yds.), the Barnstable High School Red Raiders (3-1) defeated host New Bedford (1-3), 35-14, Friday night (Oct. 4).
It was the first time since 2003 that Barnstable High has defeated New Bedford at the Whalers' home field (Dr. Paul Walsh Memorial Field).
And once again, Barnstable did it by coming from behind.
New Bedford drew first blood after a nine-play drive to open the first quarter when freshman quarterback Brendan Costa hit junior wide receiver Hunter Fluegel for a 27-yard touchdown to make it 6-0. The Whalers then opted to run a pass play for a two-point PAT, to no avail.
Barnstable took the lead on its first possession of the game when Hayden Murphy scored the first of his three touchdowns on the evening, bolting in from the two-yard line. Murphy would end the night with 15 carries for 115 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving. Dereck Pacheco, who went 5-5 on the night on PAT kick attempts, nailed his first one through the uprights to make it 7-6 at the 3:39 mark.
Barnstable was fortunate on that drive, however, to be the benefactor of a personal foul call as well as an interference call on 3rd and 13 in the red zone. The two calls advanced the Red & White to the two-yard line before Murphy busted through to paydirt.
The score and lead gave Barnstable's defense a bit of a boost as defensive ends Pacheco and Conor Walsh applied heavy pressure on the New Bedford QB and forced an incompletion on 4th and 3 to take over possession at midfield.
On 4th and 1 of a 7-play drive, Murphy busted through for what appeared to be a first down but a personal foul (chop block) cost the Red Raiders dearly and they were forced to punt. Pacheco's punt was shanked and the momentum shifted abruptly back into the hands of the hosts.
But it was short-lived.
Still fired up from its previous defensive stand, Barnstable's Murphy stripped the New Bedford running back of the ball and senior outside linebacker Nathan Yingling scooped it up at the Whalers' 36 and raced his way to his first-ever varsity touchdown to make it 13-6. Pacheco's kick was good and Barnstable enjoyed a 14-6 lead with 7:50 to go in the first half.
New Bedford did not waste a moment to get that one back and proceeded to march to midfield where Costa found a wide-open Steven Azor in centerfield for a 47-yard score. New Bedford's two-point PAT (Hector Diaz rush) was good and the score was knotted up at 14-14.
This is when Murphy really went to work, catching a Lucashensky pass for 13 yards, another one for 17 and then he raced into the end zone from the 10-yard line to make it 20-14. Pacheco split the uprights on the PAT and the score was 21-14.
With New Bedford on its own 36 after the kickoff, Walsh sacked Costa for an 11-yard loss and ostensibly put him out of commission for the remainder of the game as the New Bedford went three and out.
Murphy jetted for a gain of 18 yards to put his Red Raiders in fine position to strike once more when Lucashensky found senior wide receiver Micah Gregory open deep and Gregory tipped it up and pulled it down for a 28-yard TD to make it 27-14. Pacheco's boot was good once more and Barnstable headed to the locker room at halftime with a commanding 28-14 lead and momentum.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Barnstable sealed the victory after Colby Blaze recovered a fumble on the 17-yard line. Lucashensky then went to work and orchestrated a 10-play drive that included a 57-yard bomb to senior wideout Derek Estes that eventually set up Murphy's third and final score from the two-yard line.
Barnstable, this season competing in Division 2, has now defeated three Division 1 opponents in a row and has amassed enough MIAA "power points" to be ranked (through today) 4th in Division 2 South. Tonight's win, combined with any number of variables from this weekend's high school match-ups, might see the Red Raiders ranked even higher. The Red Raiders were ranked at No. 11 in the state by Boston.com as of this afternoon.
Next week, Barnstable takes on Atlantic Coast League powerhouse Marshfield at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field.
