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Silver Bullets and
Raiders show their
stuff
By Kathleen Szmit
kszmit@barnstablepatriot.com
KATHLEEN SZMIT PHOTOS
TEAM SPIRIT-Player* from the Barnstable High School football program get together with playersfrom Barnstable's Silver Bulletteams for their annual
group photo.
COUNT OFF-One, two, three...Raiders and Silver Bullets warm up during
their traditional season kickoff group practice Wednesday evening at
BHS.
•^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NOW LISTEN UP - Coach Paul "Spanky" Demanche instructs varsity and
junior varsity players during practice Wednesday evening at Barnstable
High School.
The
practice field at
Barnstable High
School was awash in
red and white Wednesday
n«ht. The entire BHS foot-
ball program joined forces
with the Silver Bullet teams
for a warm-up session and
a group photo before they
overtook surrounding fields
for practice en masse.
The traditional mass
gathering of players marked
the official kickoff of the
Barnstable football season.
"The kids love this," said
Bill Sifflard, president of
the BHS Quarterback Club.
"Many of the high school
players played in the Silver
Bullet league when they were
young."
Watching the players take
the field , parents were treat-
ed to an interesting time-
line regarding Barnstable
football. Players ranged in
age from 7 to 18, all with the
same goals in mind: practice
hard and play well.
During the 15-minute
warm-up preceding the
photo shoot, high school
players were partnered with
up and oomers from Silver
Bullet teams. Together they
stretched, ran drills, and did
jumping jacks in preparation
for individual team prac-
tices that followed the photo.
"It's the highlight of our
preseason," said Coach Paul
"Spanky " Demanche.
Barnstable football kicks off
'06 season with mass practice
Club's efforts help maintain
popular program
By Kathleen Szmit
kszmit@barnstablepatriot.com
H
elmets? Check. Pads? Check. Quar- '.
terback Club card? Check. Wait.
Quarterback Club? That sounds like
a private room where only elite players meet.
Try again. The Quarterback Club of
Barnstable High School is anything but.
Instead, it is a lively group of supporters of
the football program who do all they can to
ensure that football remains an integral part
of BHS sports.
The Quarterback Club is a not-for-profit
corporation whose sole focus is raising funds
to maintain the BHS football program. It
may sound simple, but in reality it is no
small endeavor. "We generate income for the
football program," said club president Bill
Sifflard.
That income is nothing to sneer at, either.
"We raise a good sum of money," said Sif-
flard. "It facilitates paying for extra coaches,
helps pay for jackets for varsity players, and
pays for our awards banquet."
To raise the funds necessary for all that
the QB Club does an impressive amount of
work must be done, mainly by dedicated
volunteers. Right now players are selling QB
Club cards, plastic cards that provide special
discounts at supporting local merchants,
such as Anderson Hardware and Play It
Again Sports.
After a successful weekend sales blitz
where BHS players were stationed outside
of local grocery stores, more than 600 cards
were sold.
QB Club volunteers also operate the
concession stand at home games, decorate
the field, and run the on-line store where
fans can obtain the latest BHS football gear.
"With the money we've contributed to the
upkeep of the field ," said Laurie Ellis, the
club's vice president of events, "we've helped
install a sprinkler system and lights."
That Ellis is involved with the QB Club is
no surprise given that there is a long family
history with the BHS football program. "This
ismy seventh year," she said, noting that one
son is a senior on the BHS team, another is
on the Silver Bullets, and her oldest once
played for Coach Paul "Spanky" Demanche
before heading off to college. "Life is football
during football season."
Supporting a football program such as that
at BHS may seem foolish to some, but folks
like Ellis understand the importance. "You
get to see these boys grow up to be men,"
she said.
Instead of finding themselves left to their
own devices after school, a time when many
youth get into trouble, BHS football players ,
are dedicated, practicing hard and playing
harder. "This is definitely the largest pro-
gram at the school," said Ellis.
While the first practice in full gear oc-
curred only yesterday, the QB Club has
already been planning this season's events,
as well as its first-game strategy. During the
regular season the club meets once a week,
with gatheings dropping to once a month in
the off-season.
When the first home game happens on
Sept. 15 against D-Y, both the players and
the QB Club will be ready. "These people do
what they say they'll do," said club member
Nancy Phinney. "They are a tremendous
group of volunteers."
Quarterback
Club is backbone
of BHS football
KATHLEEN SZMIT PHOTO
FORMIDABLE OPPONENT - This is the face that inspires fear inthe hearts
of opponents who must face BHS wrestler Alex Glenn on the mat. After
participating in numerous summer wrestling camps, Glenn claimeda gold
medal at the Bay State Games.
After Bay State
Games win, he
hopes to claim
State title
By Kathleen Szmit
kszmit@barnstablepatriot.com
When
wrestlers from
high schools opposing
Barnstable hear they
have to challenge Alex Glenn,
fear kicksin and the whispers
begin.It's no wonder.At 215
pounds andjust shy of sixfeet
tall, Glenn is aformidable op-
ponent. He is also a winner.
Glenn began wrestling in
seventh grade under the watch-
ful eye of coach Mike Magner,
who helped him hone his s'tills.
"Coach Magner brought me
to meets. He took me every-
where," said Glenn.
That exposure combined
with raw talent and a strong
dedication to the sport has re-
sulted in apowerful athlete. "I
am a brutal,head-on wrestler,"
he admitted.
This summer Glenn attended
six, yes six, wrestling camps.
He also competed in the Bay
State Games where he reigned
victorious, claimingthe gold
medalin his weight class."My
mom called me at camp and
told me I would be wrestling,"
he recalled, noting that he hung
that medal in his car instead of
adding it to the others he keeps
in various shoeboxes beneath
his bed.
What drew Glenn to the mat
was simple: he was good at it. "I
was really no good at any other
sport,"he said."With wrestling,
I wasgood right away.When you
pick something up that quickly,
you want to stick with it."
Stick with it he has. Since he
began wrestlinghe has filled his
summers with wrestling camps
and off-seasontournaments.
Although his folks are strongly
supportive, they were happy
he had his license this year and
could transport himself to their
Pennsylvaniavenues.
So what does Glenn like best
about the sport? Winning,plain
and simple. "There is nothing
better than one on one,"he
said. "You shake hands and it's
just the two of you. All the hard
work, whoever puts more in,
wins.You get your hand raised."
Glenn has won countless
awards in his high school
career, including a Red Raider
award last winter, and this year
he is determined to reach the
absolute top. "Wrestling is how
I hope to pay for college,"he
said. "I beat the number-one
ranked kid in New England dur-
ing the off-season. I want the
State title."
With his confidence and
determination, it is likely he will
realize that goal. When the 2006-
2007 season kicksoff, Glenn
may become captain of the
team once again, makinghim a
four-time starter and a four-
time letterer. "Andhopefully a
four-time All Star," he added.
Fornow Glenn keeps in
fighting shape by playingon
the Barnstable High School
football team. He likes football
but admits that, for him, it'sall
about wrestling. "I can't wait
for it to start,"he said. "There's
nothing like it."
Alex Glenn looks
forward to wrestling
with his future
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