Testimonial Dinner Planned to Honor Former Watertown High Football Coach John Barbati

Sportscaster Mike Lynch to Emcee Nov. 26th Event — Open to the Watertown Community

The following announcement was provided by the organizers of the testimonial dinner:

Watertown High School alums and community members announced plans for a testimonial dinner in honor of former football coach John Barbati. The event, hosted by renowned Boston sportscaster Mike Lynch, takes-place on Tuesday, November 26 at the Watertown Sons of Italy. 

A member of Massachusetts High School Football Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame and the WHS Hall of Fame, Barbati was Watertown’s head football coach from 1969 until 1992, retiring with a winning percentage of .595 and four championships (1973, 1976, 1977 and 1983) in the hyper-competitive Middlesex League. 

Former players of the program have joined together to stage an event that honors Coach Barbati tireless efforts in support of his players on and off the field for 24 years. “Even though it’s been a long time since we played for Coach Barbati, we haven’t forgotten the commitment he made to make us better players and better people,” said Orazio Lattanzi, class of 1976, who went on to play at Harvard. “By challenging us every day to improve on and off the field, Coach built a culture that instilled pride in one another and our community.” 

Graduates from numerous classes joined forces to organize the testimonial dinner.

Raiders Football Team Kicks Off First Home Game With New Coach, New Look

The Watertown High School football team preps for its first home game of the 2024 season. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The 2024 Watertown Raiders football team will have a different look and the team hopes to have different results from last season. Watertown High School hosts its first home game under its new head coach at Victory Field Friday night at 7 p.m. against Ipswich. Last year, the team finished 3-8, and was shut out by Belmont on Thanksgiving. This year the team will play under a new head coach, Joey Carroll, who has brought in a new system.

Watertown Football Team Hosting Golf Fundraiser

Charlie BreitroseThe Watertown Raiders football team will hold a golf fundraiser on Aug. 11. The Watertown High School Football boosters will hold a golf tournament to help support the program. Play a round of golf at Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024 beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $175.00 per golfer, and include:

18-Hole round

Golf Cart

Italian Dinner

Raiders Football Koozie

Sponsored Golf Towel

Sponsorships are also available.

New Watertown Football Coach Works to Bond With Team, Build Excitement Around the Program

Contributed PhotoNew Watertown Football Coach Joe Carroll took over the program in February and has been busy preparing for the first game in September. The first official football game is more than four months away, but new Watertown High School football coach Joe Carroll has been busy trying to bond with players, prep them for the upcoming season, and create a team culture. Since he was hired in February, Carroll has been making the most of the time he has with the team in preparation for his first season as a head coach. He takes over the Raiders after serving as assistant coach at Waltham High School for five years. Carroll has put together a schedule and to-do list to keep him focused, and each day he tries to check a few things off the list.

19 Watertown Athletes from 8 Sports Named Middlesex All-Stars

Watertown senior Molly Driscoll Molly was named the Middlesex League Field Hockey MVP, along with being an All-Star in 2023. Here she celebrates scoring against St. Mary’s State Tournament. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown High School had 19 athletes from eight sports named Middlesex League All-Stars during the Fall 2023 sports season. The Watertown field hockey team, which won its third straight state championship, led the way for the Raiders with seven All-Stars.

Belmont Rolls Over Raiders in 101st Annual Thanksgiving Game

A Watertown defender gets pressure on the Belmont quarterback in the 2023 Thanksgiving game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The 1o1st edition of the annual Thanksgiving game was a one-sided affair, with Belmont celebrating a 47-0 win over Watertown at Victory Field on Thursday. The Raiders tried different combinations of quarterbacks and running backs to try to get the offense going, but when the ball fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired, Watertown remained scoreless in the rivalry game. Even though there was no doubt about the game’s outcome, Watertown fought for points until the final moments of the game. As the final minute disappeared off the clock, the Raiders moved the ball down field with a pair of passes from Gnai Concannon-Garvin to Lucas Pizzuto.

Watertown Playing Belmont for the 101st Time on Thanksgiving: Belmont Wins 47-0

Watertown and Belmont will play for the 101st time on Thursday at Victory Field. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown and Belmont will renew their football rivalry for the 101st time on Thanksgiving at Victory Field. After a special 100th edition in 2022 played at Fenway Park, where Watertown won 21-7, in 2023 the annual Thanksgiving game returns to Watertown 10 a.m. on Thursday. Return to this post for live updates from the game! LIVE UPDATES

Fourth Quarter

Final: Belmont 47, Watertown 0

0:00 – Pizzutocatches it at the 6.