Head football coach Eian Bain of the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional has stated that, in his opinion, there are no such things as moral victories.
Despite the Trojans’ 28-13 loss to Barnstable in their season opener on Friday night, head coach Jim McElwain did claim that his team learned a lot from the experience, particularly given the quality of their opponent.
By the end of the third quarter, B-R had limited the Red Hawks to just 14 points, ensuring that the game would remain tied at one touchdown going into the fourth.
It was quite an accomplishment. Last year, Barnstable went 10-2 and reached the semifinals of the Division 2 state tournament. In six of those victories, the team scored 40 points or more.
It was a lofty task, but the Trojans gave Barnstable everything they could handle.
“Whether you win or lose, there’s always something to take away positive from the experience if you’re doing things in what you view as the right way,” Bain said.
#12 B-R quarterback Jack Lambert just barely gets a throw off while being harried by Barnstable’s DL Zayquan Jones, almost losing his hat in the process in 1st half action on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.
Bain mentioned the numerous automobiles stuck in traffic waiting to leave the stadium by pointing to the parking lot behind the end zone after the game.
That’s because the stands were full with students and B-R fans who are enthusiastic for the new era of Trojans football.
“It’s everything I expected,” Bain said about the environment of his first game. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play the way we expected. That’s on us as coaches to keep building this thing up so that next week we come back and these fans want to keep coming in here and this program continues at the level it’s supposed to be at.”
Since joining, Bain has set out to restore a winning culture at B-R. He remarked in the preseason that the program “has a standard to uphold.”
Just when the game looked to be gone, with 2:44 remaining in the fourth and down 21-7, senior Cam Knudsen intercepted a throw from Barnstable quarterback Dylan Hamilton. He returned it for a score to make it a one-possession game.
The Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans come out for their first game of the 2024 season, taking on the Barnstable Redhawks on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.
B-R nearly recovered an onside kick after it went off the hands of a Barnstable player, but the Red Hawks managed to recover. Needing one more stop to get the ball back to potentially tie the game, Barnstable used its run game to close things up, with Jayson Dyer scoring from 2 yards out for the final score of 28-13.
“As a team, at the end, I don’ think we finished the right way,” stated Bain. “Had we executed a little better, we’re feeling different at the end of the game.”
Still, Bain noted his squad competed well, especially junior quarterback Jack Lambert, who made his varsity debut at the position. Lambert had a poor start to the game, throwing a pick-six on his first pass attempt, giving Barnstable an early 7-0 lead in the first.
Lambert bounced back to lead the Trojans on a 70-yard touchdown drive the next possession. Lambert found senior wide receiver Will Porter Jr. from 7 yards out in the middle of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. He zipped a ball in to Porter, who collected the ball despite having a defender plastered on his back.
Despite a couple of missed TDs from Lambert to Porter Jr., Bain had high praise for his junior quarterback following his first game under the lights, and said he is “very confident with him moving forward.”
“I think the weight of the world is on his shoulders sometimes,” Bain added. “(It’s) getting him to understand that he has the potential and the ability to be one of the top quarterbacks in the area, and in the state. And he will be.
“I think the sky is the limit and you saw flashes of that tonight and as he gets more comfortable and gains that experience, he can do about anything out here we need him to.”
Bain and the Trojans travel to Plymouth South next week, seeking to grab their first win of the season.
