Sports
A New King: Henson Crowned All-State Champion
For the first time in Barnstable High School athletic history, a Red Raider was yesterday crowned an All-State Champion, as junior co-captain Will Henson ripped through four opponents and in the process qualified for the New Englands next week.
Bring 'em all on.
Barnstable High School junior captain Will Henson whipped through four opponents at the MIAA Division 1 All-State Tournament yesterday to become the Red Raiders' first-ever All-State Champion, just two weeks after being crowned the first eastern Massachusetts state champion. Henson is now qualified to test his mettle at the New Englands.
In the course of one month, Henson has been crowned the Division 1 South Sectional Champion, the Division 1 State Champion and the Division 1 All-State Champion. Barnstable has had just three other wrestlers finish as place winners at the All-State level, including Henson last year as a sophomore at 160 lbs. (4th place); Nick Kidd in 2008 (3rd place/160); Nick Barreto in 2008 (4th place/145) and Alex Glenn in 2007 (215/3rd).
Find out what's happening in Barnstable-Hyannisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Barnstable's best on the mats by far, and perhaps one of if not the best in school history, Henson tore through Darcut's Stig McElhinny with a pin in 1:25, then followed that up with a pin in 3:45 of Southeastern's Matt Small. He then defeated Tewksbury's Chris London by pin at 1:35 and then he faced Taconic's Jesse Kardona. In a 13-7 decision for All-State bragging rights, Henson erased even an inkling of doubt that he rules his weight class.
It was no less impressive that the Red Raiders sent an 8th grader - Michael Botello - to the All-State competition at Salem High School yesterday. Botello went 1-2 on the day.
