Sports

Former Watertown Football Coach Instilled Lessons His Players Remember 50 Years Later

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A photo of Phil Greenough playing for Watertown High School under Coach John Barbati. By Phil GreenoughWatertown High School ‘77

With plans for a testimonial dinner in celebration of Coach John Barbati on November 26, it’s a good time to reflect on the impact he made on me and the many kids who played for him over his 24 years as head football coach at Watertown High School. It’s hard to believe 50 years have passed, but I still can remember clearly lessons Coach imparted that helped me and so many others succeed under his tutelage. Some quick background: Barbati, a star quarterback at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, found his way to Watertown High School to become head coach in 1969, retiring in 1992 with a winning percentage of .595 and four championships (1973, 1976, 1977 and 1983) in the hyper-competitive Middlesex League.

Sports

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

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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.

Sports

Watertown High School Hosting Soccer Night Oct. 26 at Victory Field

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown High School Boosters:

Mark your calendars! Watertown High School Boys Soccer is hosting Watertown Soccer Night on Saturday, October 26th, at Victory Field, and it’s going to be a fun-filled evening for the whole community. The night kicks off with a Senior Night ceremony at 5 PM, where we’ll honor our WHS Boys Soccer seniors. Their parents, caregivers, and families will join them on the field as we celebrate everything they’ve achieved during their time with the program. At 6 PM, the WHS Boys Varsity team will take on Reading in an exciting match under the lights.

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Coach Named MIAA Coach of the Year

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Watertown Head Field Hockey Coach Eileen Donahue celebrates the 2023 State Championship with Raiders captains, from left, junior Adrianna Williams, senior Molly Driscoll, and senior Aislin Devaney. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Longtime Watertown Field Hockey Coach Eileen Donahue will collect another honor in December when she receives the 2023-24 MIAA Coach of the Year Award. Last season, the Raiders went undefeated and won their third straight State Championship. Watertown capped the season with a 4-3 win over Newburyport in the State Final. The team is undefeated this season, and has amassed a winning streak of 88 games.

Sports

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

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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.

Sports

Watertown Field Hockey Seniors Seek to Complete Undefeated Career

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Watertown field hockey co-captains Rachel Egan, left, and Adiranna Williams were interviewed by WBZ Channel 4. (Screenshot from WBZ video). The Watertown High School field hockey team once again has established a long winning streak, has claimed three straight State Championships, and in 2024 the seniors seek to complete an undefeated career with the Raiders, a feat that caught the attention of a Boston news station. Watertown begins the 2024 campaign on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. at Victory Field against Lexington. Last season, the Raiders went 22-0 and defeated Newburyport 4-3 in the MIAA Div.

Sports

Watertown Residents Can Apply for a Youth Sports Scholarship

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Get Lively hosted a sport equipment rally to raise money for a youth sports scholarship. The following announcement was provided by Turf and Get Lively:

Turf and Get Lively(R) Health & Fitness Studio hosted the first-annual Pass the Torch: Youth Sports Equipment Rally to get gently used equipment into the hands of local kids. At the end of a very busy and beautiful spring day, we were left with a few items of value, so we headed over to Play it Again Sports in Waltham to trade them for cash. We planned to push the cash back to the community in the form of a recreational scholarship designed to help a family defray some the expense of a program for which their child would like to participate. Turf rounded up the amount received from Play it Again and matched it so that it can now offer a 2024 Turf Recreation Scholarship of $200.

Sports

Watertown Summer Basketball Finals Game 3 Moved to Aug. 20

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More Than Different faces New Day in the third and final game of the 2024 Watertown Summer Basketball League Finals Tuesday night at Saltonstall Park. (Courtesy of Watertown Recreation)

The Papas Elite Finals Game Three between No. 4 More Than Different and No. 7 New Day will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at Saltonstall Park.