The win last night versus Bridgewater-Raynham was just a tad more historically important than the continuation of a thus far unbeaten season.

– For the first time since the 1961 and 1962 seasons, Barnstable captured back-to-back league championship titles. John “Jack” Parker coached for three seasons (1961-63). Coach Chris Whidden now joins some pretty rare company. In addition to Parker, Whidden joins Barnstable High School Athletic Hall of Famers Leo Shields, Eliot MacSwan and William “Billy” Bangs as the only football coaches to win consecutive league championship titles since the program’s inception in 1893.

– Barnstable has attained a number one state ranking in all polls and has held onto it since defeating Everett High for the first time in school history back in September. The last and only other time Barnstable has ever been ranked number one in Massachusetts was in 1995 when it went 11-0.

– Contrary to published reports, Barnstable last defeated Bridgewater-Raynham on the road in 2002 when it went 9-3 and was Old Colony League champion under coach Spanky Demanche with captains Ryan Sifflard, Greg Hill and Bryan Sweeney.

– Nick Peabody’s 198 yards passing pushed him past the 2,000-yards passing mark with 2,047 yards passing thus far this year. He is only the second quarterback to eclipse that mark behind D.J. Crook who achieved it in 2010 and 2009.

– The last time Barnstable won eight (8) straight games in a season was 1995. Prior to that, Barnstable went 8-0-1 with a tie in 1987 under head coach Mark Titus before losing to Falmouth on Thanksgiving Day. Prior to those seasons, the last time Barnstable won eight straight games came in 1951 (9-0). In no other season in Barnstable’s 120 years of high school football has it won (or at least, not lost) eight consecutive games except in 2012, 1995, 1987 and 1951.

– Junior running back Hayden Murphy’s 101 yards rushing on 15 carries (which excluded a 17-yard run called back due to holding in the 4th quarter) was his first 100-yard rushing game of his career for BHS, although he’s had numerous games with 90-plus yards rushing and several 100-plus yard games of combined offensive yardage. Still, Murphy joined the rarest of Red Raider company: his father, James E. Murphy Jr., ran for 154 yards against Silver Lake on Sept. 27, 1980 making them the first father-son duo in Red Raider history to achieve that milestone.

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The Barnstable Red Raiders went to 8-0 on the season, defeated archrival Bridgewater-Raynham, 27-25, captured the Old Colony League title and clinched an MIAA playoffs berth all in one evening last night on the road.

Nick Peabody went 11-22 for 198 yards and two touchdowns and also scored one himself, while Dylan Morris and Tedaro France also scored. Jason Frieh picked off a Jordan Cohen pass at the 18-yard line to open the second half and Hayden Murphy had 101 yards rushing as well as the game-ending interception. Andrew Ellis also turned in his third interception in two games to help stave off a tough B-R offensive attack. Morris also turned in a 104-yard night receiving.

Barnstable next faces Plymouth North on Friday, Nov. 9 at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field at 6:00 pm.

Barnstable came from behind in the 4th quarter and kept its unbeaten record clean, defeating the Billerica Indians, 46-33 at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field on Saturday (Oct. 27).

Bryan Hardy records a first quarter sack of Billerica QB Jordan Balerhino.

Hayden Murphy scored three touchdowns and had 85 yards rushing as well as a 62-yard reception for 147 all-purpose yards in his best game of the season. Tedaro France collected 110 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns and also had an interception. Nick Peabody went 14-24 in the air, passing for three touchdowns and now has 1,849 yards passing for the season thus far – the 4th best passing yardage mark all-time for a single season. He also scored one touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Dylan Morris scored a touchdown in the first quarter and had two key receptions in the 4th quarter, while Andrew Ellis turned in a 10-tackle, two-interception performance in one of his best games in four years. Ryan Litchman collected 12 tackles as well and included a sack.

The Barnstable Red Raiders went to 6-0 last night in a 35-6 win over the host Dartmouth Indians on the road.

Tedaro France scored two touchdowns, had 114 yards receiving and two interceptions on defense as he led the Red Raiders to victory for the second straight week. Manny Perry, Nick Peabody and Robbie Stuart also scored while Jason Frieh went a perfect 5-5 on PAT kicks

BHS senior captains Andrew Ellis and Bryan Hardy lead the way for the Red & White.

Thank goodness for Tedaro France.

The senior Barnstable High wide receiver and defensive back staged a phenomenal performance last night, catching touchdown passes of 95 and 61 yards and had 167 yards receiving; on what turned out to be New Bedford’s last offensive play of the game, he tacked on an interception.

If not for France’s stellar night, things might have turned out differently for the Red Raiders. As it stood, however, Barnstable maintained its unblemished record and top state ranking at 5-0 with a 19-14 finale over the visiting Whalers (2-3).

Senior captain and quarterback Nick Peabody went 12-28 in the air and amassed 299 yards for three touchdowns with one interception.

With starting offensive guard Billy Grimmer sidelined after fracturing his fibula in practice Wednesday, Peabody found himself under more pressure than he’s been used to and was sacked five times by a gutsy, rough-and-tumble New Bedford defense. On the ground, Barnstable ran the ball 27 times for just 26 yards on the evening, with Peabody notching the longest run of the night, a 24-yarder on the last play of the first half.

It looked like business as usual for Barnstable at the outset of this nailbiter, as Peabody hit a wide-open Dylan Morris on a 34-yarder for his 10th touchdown reception of the season at 8:58 of the 1st quarter to make it 6-0. Senior kicker and linebacker Terrence Mudie, whose opening kickoff was his best of the still young season, planted the PAT kick through the uprights to make it 7-0.

Mudie would also block a punt and collect four tackles before suffering a knee injury in the second quarter. He returned to the field only to go down once again and carried off the field.

Ahead 7-0, Barnstable exchanged punts with New Bedford until the Red Raiders found themselves with a 1st & 10 on their own five-yard line with 3:53 left to go in the first half. Peabody found France down the middle, flying like the wind as he outran the Whalers’ defense for a 95-yard touchdown. It was the 4th longest touchdown pass play in Red Raider history.

But with Mudie out, Barnstable was forced to go for the two-point conversion and it failed, leaving the score at 13-0. Sensing opportunity, perhaps, New Bedford staged a 10-play drive downfield, eventually scoring when senior captain Mike Rapoza found Mike Lajoie down the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. Rapoza’s PAT kick was good and with 0:36 left in the 1st half, Barnstable enjoyed a slim margin of 13-7.

New Bedford had a chance to even the score or go ahead when it picked off a Peabody throw and returned it close to 30 yards, but a penalty brought the ball back across the 50 and both teams ended up swapping punts until just 3:36 remained in the game.

Both teams attempted to run the ball and in so doing run the clock down – and the plan worked for both teams, to a degree, until the New Bedford defense was lulled into thinking that Barnstable might scrap the passing attack. Not so. Peabody found France wide open down the middle once again, this time for a 61-yard strike to make it 19-7. The Red & White’s two-point PAT failed again and New Bedford had minimal time to try and come back.

In what appeared to be either an onside kick attempt or just an errant kickoff, New Bedford returned the ball all the way to the Barnstable 10 and Rapoza then found Lajoie from 7 yards out. With the score at 19-13, Rapoza again booted it through the uprights to make it 19-14.

But that would be all the gas New Bedford had left in the tank as it tried one final drive with about 1:20 to go. Rapoza looked down the middle but France swarmed inside his man and snatched the ball from midair to seal the Barnstable victory.

Next Friday night, Barnstable heads to Darmtouth high for the Red Raiders’ first Old Colony League contest. Game time is 7:00 pm.

A fine defensive effort was also turned in by inside linebackers Bryan Hardy and Andrew Ellis – once again – Ryan Litchman and Derek Estes in the secondary and Mudie prior to leaving the game at halftime. Rob Stuart and Jon Eldredge also fared well, with both players recording a sack.

If you’re a Red Raider fan this week promises to be one of the busiest this fall. Here’s the schedule for a wide variety of BHS Football-related events:

– Tuesday, Oct. 2, Coach Whidden to receive NE Patriots Coach of the Week Award, 12:00 noon at BHS
– Tuesday, Oct. 2:  the Quarterback Club is meeting at 6:30 PM in the Senior Cafe at BHS.
– Wednesday, Oct. 3, the varsity defensive unit will practice with the Silver Bullets and usually gets out around 6:15 pm.
– Friday, Oct. 5 the Varsity game is at home at 6:00 pm vs. New Bedford and it’s annual Barnstable Silver Bullets Youth Night!
– Saturday, Oct. 6, the BHS Freshmen play at New Bedford at 10:00 AM.
– Monday, Oct. 8, the BHS JV plays at New Bedford at 10:00 am (it’s a holiday, no school)

Barnstable High School’s second-year head football coach Chris Whidden, has been chosen as this week’s New England Patriots Coach of the Week winner. The team’s win over Everett High School at Everett Memorial Stadium “was impressive,” said Patriots Executive Director of Community Affairs and former star player Andre Tippett, “after playing 2 overtimes and walking away with a 13-7 victory.”

Tippett will be at Barnstable High School tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2, along with the team’s KSP film crew, to present coach Whidden his award. Along with the award, the Patriots Charitable Foundation will donate $1000 to Barnstable High School football program in Whidden’s name, in recognition of his Coach of the Week selection. The visit and check presentation will be featured on the team’s weekly television magazine show, Patriots All Access, which airs at 7 p.m.
on Friday, on WBZ-TV in Boston and immediately after on Patriots.com.

This season marks the 17th year in which the Patriots have joined the
National Football League in conducting the High School Coach of the Week
program. This program recognizes outstanding high school coaches and
promotes youth & high school football throughout New England. Tippett oversees the program as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation’s commitment to youth & high school football initiatives.

Tippett and his film crew will arrive at BHS tomorrow around 11:30am and start filming at noon time. The award will likely be presented formally in the school’s gymnasium.

Barnstable, now 4-0 and ranked number one in the state, plays New Bedford at home on Friday at 6:00 pm.