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        It very well may have been the best game Barnstable played all season, but it was still not enough to quelch an opportunistic and equally gritty Falmouth Clipper football team on Thanksgiving Day in the 116th meeting of the two rivals.

    Barnstable ends the season at 2-8, while Falmouth finishes one of its best seasons all-time at 9-1.

    On its own 6-yard line late in the first quarter, Falmouth's Steve Clark broke free and took off 94 yards for one of the longest runs in the history of the Barnstable-Falmouth Classic. The extra point kick was good, and Falmouth  led, 7-0.

    It was all the Clippers would need to take home the vaunted Selectmen's Trophy.

    W. Leo Shields Memorial Field was in fairly good condition considering a driving rain throughout the night and intermittent showers throughout the entire game, but by game's end the wear and tear was evident on the uniforms of both teams.

    The Red Raiders had several opportunities in the Red Zone throughout the game, but could not seem to break a fourth down funk that kept them from punching it in. Their last best chance was on the Falmouth four-yard line with just 2:45 left in the game, but a failed bootleg and then long pass on fourth down from junior quarterback Kevin Riley to tight end Mike Noonan was the host's last best chance at hitting paydirt.

    Sophomore running back Zach Wilson played spectacularly throughout the game, churning up 104 yards (19 carries) on several bruising runs.  Senior Bobby Nunes suffered a debilitating ankle injury early in the second half and was forced to sit out the remainder of the game. Co-captain Kyle Pratt played phenomenally well on both sides of the ball, throughout the game, as did linebacker Mike Burke.  

     Last season in the 115th meeting between the two rivals, last Thanksgiving Day the Barnstable Red Raiders football team stood poised to capture a huge victory versus Falmouth at Elmer "Guv" Fuller Field in downtown Falmouth.

    Bolstered by a 1st and 10 situation on the Clippers' 10-yard line with just 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, Barnstable was down, 12-7.

     In theory, the Red Raiders were armed with more than enough time and four plays to punch in a touchdown and go home with the vaunted Selectmen's Trophy.

    Alas, the Selectmen's Trophy would spend another 364 days at Falmouth Town Hall as the Clippers intercepted a Mike Hebenstreit pass and ended the Red Raiders' hopes.

    Another chapter in the 110-year Barnstable-Falmouth legend had been written.

    This year, Barnstable stands to leave the 2004 campaign with its pride intact, knowing it came within just two points of vying for the Old Colony League title. Falmouth, riding high atop the Atlantic Coast League at 8-1, comes into the Thanksgiving Day Game having lost last week to Plymouth North. North, the backbone of the ACL, gave Falmouth an unexpected taste of how fickle fate can be, spoiling the Clippers' bid at an undefeated season in its first with the ACL.

    Make no mistake, Falmouth comes to Hyannis next Thursday armed with confidence and faith in three-year starting quarterback Steve Clark who has 30 varsity starts under his belt. It also comes to Hyannis knowing it has the world on a string with an 8-1 record.

    Barnstable, stuck with a tough-to-swallow 2-7 mark thus far this season, comes to W. Leo Shields Memorial Field to protect its home turf and pride.

    With a victory, Falmouth would hit the .500 mark all-time in Turkey Day contests with its archrival. To date, the Red Raiders boast a 37-36-4 all-time mark on Thanksgiving Day versus the Clippers, while Falmouth stands at 36-37-4.

    From 1895 through 1946, the two teams would actually meet twice a season, playing against each other on or around Columbus Day in October, and meeting again on Thanskgiving Day. There were one or two seasons when the match-up became so furious and heated, that the two schools were forced to postpone the rivalry, including in 1947 when the pair did not meet.

    Since 1895 when the two teams met for the first time, Barnstable has accumulated a 54-53-8 record, while Falmouth stands at 53-54-8.

    The worst beating the Red Raiders ever took from the Clippers came in 1969 when Falmouth won, 53-0. In 2001, Barnstable offered a similar margin of defeat to its rival, winning 51-0.

    Barnstable leads in points scored as well, with 1,265, while Falmouth stands to shrink that gap at 1,202.

    Falmouth has bragging rights to winning the first-ever Barnstable-Falmouth game in 1895, 6-0, while Barnstable returned the favor later in the season, winning 6-4.

Festivities, Honors Earlier in the Week

Hundreds of student-athletes, Red Raider football fans and girls suited up to vye for bragging rights in the annual Senior-Junior Powder Puff game rallied at W. Leo Shields Memorial Field last night, hoping to raise spirits and get geared up for the Annual Thanksgiving Day Classic versus archrival Falmouth on Thursday.

    It was announced last night that BHS Boys Varsity Gold Head Coach Bob Kingman was named the Boston Globe Div. 1 Golf Coach of the Year, and that BHS Volleyball Head Coach Tom Turco was also named Boston Globe Coach of the Year.

    Kingman's team went undefeated in regular season match play this fall, picking up Runners Up honors in the State Div. 1 final in postseason play. Turco's team once again walked away with the Div. 1 State Championship and won its 10th straight Old Colony League Championship. 

Click here for 2004 BHS Red Raiders Statistics

    To see where other high school teams rank in Eastern Massachusetts, click here.