Red Raiders Hope to Repeat Last Year's Success

And so it begins.

For the 123rd autumn, the Barnstable High School football team took to W. Leo Shields Memorial Field Saturday (August 23, 2014) versus Nauset in the first of two scrimmages scheduled prior to the season opener on September 5.

By the looks of it, Barnstable has some fine-tuning to do and some personnel to square away prior to the season’s first official snap against the visiting Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School Dolphins on Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. Last year, D-Y pounded the Red Raiders 37-9 before Barnstable took off running with a nine-game winning streak including incredible victories over the likes of BC High, Xaverian, Marshfield and Bridgewater-Raynham.

Barnstable finished at 9-2 last season in what can be argued as one of the greatest seasons in school history. Capturing its third straight Old Colony League Championship title, last year’s Barnstable High School football team will go down as just one of five teams in school history to win nine (9) or more games. That’s right, only five teams in the storied program - in essence, reinvigorated by three-year head coach Chris Whidden and his gifted staff - have won nine or more games.

Noticeably missing from both sides of the football this season is former co-captain Hayden Murphy (Class of 2014) who is busy this fall playing for the Tigers of Princeton University.

Replacing Kristian Lucashensky at quarterback this season is junior Griffin Burke, a towering presence in the backfield whose mettle has yet to be fully tested at the varsity level. Burke threw one touchdown pass to fellow junior Eric Holzman in Saturday’s scrimmage and then ran one in himself from about 15 yards out. On two runs, the hulking quarterback was reminiscent of former Red Raider superstar Zach Wilson (Class of 2007) who went on to a brilliant career at Bryant University. Holzman had a pair of nice grabs early on.

Barnstable running back Will Cook also looked impressive, but of particular note was the new senior backfield duo of Henry O’Shaughnessy and Clyde Perry Jr. - a pair of 245-lb. hulks who appeared capable of barreling through even the toughest gauntlet of defenders.

Of course, returning two-way starting lineman Owen Murray -an Old Colony League All-Star - was a visible presence and he promises to be as dominant this year on the defensive front as he has been on the offensive side of the ball. Junior Jack Pipatti also showed he has the ability to gain considerable yards on the ground and had a taste of varsity action in the backfield last year.

“It was a good learning experience,” 4th-year head coach Chris Whidden said. “And good to see these kids on film. The more live reps we can get before week one, the better off we’ll be with all of the inexperience we have on the roster.”

Next Saturday, the Red Raiders head to the Ocean State to scrimmage Bishop Hendricken in Warwick, Rhode Island.

2014 Barnstable High School Varsity Football Schedule