WHS Football Team Recognized By School Board

The Windham School Board invited the high school football team to its Feb. 7 business meeting to present the 2011-2012 Division V finalist banner.

According to Chairman Ed Gallagher, the team and its accomplishments have been mentioned at meetings before, but they have never been acknowledged directly to the players and coaches.

"This is the fun part of the job – to get to recognize good kids," said Gallagher.

Bill Raycraft, who serves as head coach as well as Athletic Administrator at WHS, acknowledged some of the team's feats in the fall.

Those included averaging two turnovers per game on defense and over 400 yards per game on offense.

He even joked about a special teams milestone.

"Special teams we had our first field goal," Raycraft said. "A new school record 32 yards, which was longer than the field goal missed by the Ravens."

Raycraft was referring to the wide left field goal by Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff that sent the New England Patriots to their seventh Super Bowl.

While Gallagher joked earlier that they certainly weren't recognizing the New York Giants at the meeting, the WHS team will be recognized with a sleek new banner in the school's gymnasium.

Five senior players were in attendance to hold up a piece of the banner: Kennie Payden, C.J. DiPrima, Michael Masone, Brian Barnard and Cody Hamel.

Raycraft outined all of their contributions, from offense and defense to the defensive line.

He added that Hamel has enlisted in the armed forces and will be serving his country after he graduates.

Coaches from every level of the high school football program down to freshmen football also came out to accept the recognition.

Superintendent Henry LaBranche, who Raycraft acknowledged was at every home game as well as the championship, said that there was "no quit" in the players despite being down three touchdowns against a tough opponent.

"They came back to the point where it was a ballgame," said LaBranche.

Raycraft said that it was nice to see the 60 plus players rewarded with a banner.

"They know they were well representing Windham and the community," Raycraft said.

He also thanked the community and the board for their support.