D-II Super Bowl was a perfect finish for BHS seniors

Barrington coach: ‘We took the season to the very end’

By Josh Bickford
Posted 5/11/21

Moments before the kickoff, officials for the Division II Super Bowl invited the captains for both teams to the center of the field for the coin toss.

St. Raphaels sent four players to the …

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D-II Super Bowl was a perfect finish for BHS seniors

Barrington coach: ‘We took the season to the very end’

Posted

Moments before the kickoff, officials for the Division II Super Bowl invited the captains for both teams to the center of the field for the coin toss.

St. Raphaels sent four players to the 50-yard line, while more than 20 players from Barrington locked arms and walked slowly toward midfield. In fact, the Eagles decided to send every member of the senior class to the coin toss.

Barrington High School Football Coach Sandy Gorham said this year’s seniors are a close-knit group: good teammates on the field and great friends off it.

“It’s that chemistry thing,” Coach Gorham said, adding that if a team does not have chemistry it may struggle not matter how great the talent. This year’s seniors, he said, pick each other up when they are down and are quick to celebrate each other’s successes.

“It’s probably been a good 10 years that a lot of them have played together,” he said. 

Many of the seniors were members of the same Barrington Pop Warner team over the years, a squad that nearly captured a regional championship at the Midget level. This year’s seniors also reached the Freshmen State Championship game, nearly upsetting top-ranked Hendricken. Coach Gorham’s son, Luke, is a member of this year’s senior class, meaning the BHS coach has had a front row seat for this group’s games over the years.

Coach Gorham said watching his team win the title on Sunday night was the perfect ending to the season. He said he spoke with his team prior to the game, reminding them that the Division II Super Bowl would be the last time they would all play together on the same team.

“We took the season to the very end,” he said. “There were no empty feelings. It was such a sense of satisfaction.”

Coach Gorham said the 34-6 win over St. Raphaels on Sunday night may have been the team’s best complete performance. He said he even received a text message from one of the player’s fathers who said the same thing.

Coach Gorham praised the play of his team, making certain to mention his offensive line. He said the group that included Evan Van Bree, Jack Kelleher and AJ Prete did a fantastic job opening holes for the Eagles’ running backs. 

“I was amazed at how much of a push they got against a big line,” he said. 

“They did a great job.”

Following the game, Coach Gorham enjoyed a special moment with his son, Luke. He said Luke walked up to him, picked him up and hugged him. 

“For me personally, it’s the last game I’ll ever coach my son,” he said. 

BHS Seniors (as listed on RIIL.org)

1 Ethan Tomulonis

3 Will Sanchez

4 Brigham Dunphy

6 Mark Bernardo

10 Noah Mincone

13 Cole Reed

21 Asher Kranowitz

23 Ben Proulx

24 Thomas McAdams

25 Max Williams

26 Andrew Jameison

28 Luke Gorham

29 Elijah Muller

31 Matt Cabral

32 Tom Rocha

41 Matt Daft

42 Jack Kelty

43 Jackson Bennett

53 AJ Prete

59 Sergio DaSilva

72 Evan Van Bree

73 Jack Kelleher

77 Josh Nutter

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.