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Health & Fitness

Red Raiders Celebrated at Postseason Banquet

By all accounts, the 2013 Barnstable High School football season was a huge success.

An estimated 350 football players, parents, siblings and coaches were on hand Sunday night (Dec. 8) to commemorate the Red Raiders' third straight Old Colony League championship title and the program's 9-2 season at the 89th Barnstable High School postseason football banquet. The banquet was hosted by the Barnstable Quarterback Club at BHS and not in recent memory has such a grand affair been staged by the club.

The post-awards ceremony dinner feast was provided by Lambert's Rainbow Fruit of West Main Street, Centerville.

BHS varsity head football coach Chris Whidden - who after three seasons is the only Red Raider football coach since the program's inception in 1893 to win three straight league championship titles in his first three years at the helm - emceed the awards ceremony, with assistant coaches Mike Dwyer, Andrew Nugnes, George Kostinas, Willie Ford, Ryan Tremblett and Kris Dumas adding speeches. Whidden, who was the 2012 Boston Globe Div. 1A Coach of the Year, also boasts the highest all-time career winning percentage for head football coaches at Barnstable at .777 (28-8-0). He ranks just ahead of BHS Athletic Hall of Famer William P. "Billy" Bangs (.721) who won eight championship titles in his 11 seasons at the helm (1926-1936).

Whidden was quick to point out the accomplishments of his players and he doled out the accolades accordingly, beginning the evening with his announcement of this year's Old Colony League All-Stars: Owen Murray (OT), Jacob Palmer (OT), Billy Grimmer (G), Chris Kennedy (G) and Kristian Lucashensky (QB) on offense and on defense, Hayden Murphy (LB), Dereck Pacheco (DE), Conor Walsh (DE), Derek Estes (CB) and Colby Blaze (CB).

Nathan Yingling, one of the top defensive and special teams players on the squad throughout the season, was honored with the Old Colony League Sportsmanship Award.

Murphy, who was this week named a Boston Globe All-Scholastic, was presented with the oldest athletic award at Barnstable High School, the Jean G. Hinkle Memorial Athletic Award. It was an award his grandfather, James E. Murphy, received in 1954. His grandfather was in attendance to see his grandson receive this top honor - first established in 1935. The award comes with a monetary scholarship. Hayden's uncle, Billy Murphy, also won the prestigious award in 1988.

Murphy finished the season with 1,110 yards rushing, a mark that places him 8th on the all-time list of most yards rushed in a single season, but it was his 120 points scored this year that ranked him as the third highest scorer in Red Raider history. The program enjoyed its 121st season this year and was established in 1893. Murphy is the 79th recipient of the Hinkle Trophy.

Other award recipients included offensive tackle and senior Jacob Palmer who was presented with the BHS Football Heart & Drive Offensive Lineman of the Year Award, an honor established in 2006 by BHS Athletic Hall of Famer John Ellis.

The Red Raider Coaches' Award, established in 1970 and given annually to the "Unsung Hero" of the Red Raider varsity team, was presented to Pacheco, Walsh and fellow defensive lineman Manny Dulak.

Billy Grimmer, a senior likely headed to Union College to join his older brother Tommy in the Union football program, was the recipient of the Joseph Borsari Award given annually since 1969 to "the Red Raider football player who best exemplifies the level of dedication it requires to wear the Red & White." Grimmer, a three-year varsity letterman, was credited with his "toughness" and his utter "devotion" to the program.

Senior defensive back Max Lambert, whose performance was unforgettable in the major upset over then ranked #2 Natick during the MIAA Div. 2 Playoffs, was honored with the Ronald Hosie Sportsmanship Award. The award was first presented in 1974 at BHS.

Chris Kennedy, a senior co-captain and three-year starter on the offensive line, was awarded the Raymond E. Hostetter Jr. Football Award. Established in 1953, the award was originally given each season to one outstanding BHS Red Raider football player by the Hyannis Athletic Association. It is now given annually by the Barnstable Quarterback Club. The late Ray Hostetter is deemed by many BHS football fans to be one of the greatest running backs to ever wear the Red & White and helped lead the 1951 team to a 9-0 undefeated season and who went on to set several rushing records at the University of Maine. Ray's father, Ray Sr., was the founder of the original Barnstable Athletic Boosters in the late 1940s, forefather to the Barnstable Quarterback Club later founded in 1967. Raymond E. Hostetter, Jr. also served for one season as BHS Football Head Coach. This award is given each year to the player who best demonstrates a superior level of competitiveness and leadership.

Red Raider Club Awards were given to stalwart defensive backs Derek Estes and Colby Blaze, who also excelled at the wide receiver position. The award was established in 1978 and has been given each season since to "a select player or group of players (who) are recognized 'for attaining a superior level of performance against their opponents during the football season'."

Each year since 1959, BHS has awarded a Red Raider Most Valuable Player Award for the Thanksgiving Day Game versus Falmouth. Last year, the award was re-named for fallen Navy Seal and former Red Raider football captain Kevin Houston. This year's Kevin A. Houston Memorial Thanksgiving Day Game Most Valuable Player Award was given to BHS senior quarterback Kristian Lucashensky who went 8-15 for 213 yards and three touchdowns in Barnstable's impressive 47-0 victory.

Longtime Quarterback Club volunteer and officer Meg Chaffee of Hyannis was also honored for her seven years of incredible service to the boys in Red & White.

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